Color Atlas of Genetics

by Eberhard Passarge

The aim of this book is to give an account of the scientific field of genetics based on visual displays of selected concepts and related facts. Additional information is presented in the introduction, with a chronological list of important discoveries and advances in the history of genetics, in an appendix with supplementary data in tables, in an extensive glossary explaining genetic terms, and in references, including websites for further in-depth studies. This book is written for two kinds of readers: for students of biology and medicine, as an introductory overview, and for their mentors, as a teaching aid. Other interested individuals will also be able to gain information about current developments and achievements in this rapidly growing field.

Gerhardus Kremer (1512-1594), the mathematician and cartographer known as Mercator, first used the term atlas in 1594 for a book containing a collection of 107 maps. The frontispiece shows a figure of the Titan Atlas holding the globe on his shoulders. When the book was published a year after Kremer’s death, many regions were still unmapped. Genetic maps are a leitmotif in genetics and a recurrent theme in this book. Establishing genetic maps is an activity not unlike mapping new, unknown territories 500 years ago.

This third edition has been extensively rewritten, updated, and expanded. Every sentence and illustration was visited and many changed to improve clarity. The general structure of the previous editions, which have appeared in 11 languages, has been maintained:

Part I, Fundamentals; Part II, Genomics; Part III, Genetics and Medicine.

Each color plate is accompanied by an explanatory text on the opposite page. Each double page constitutes a small, self-contained chapter. The limited space necessitates a concentration on the most important threads of information at the expense of related details not included. Therefore, this book is a supplement to, rather than a substitute for, classic textbooks. New topics in this third edition, represented by new plates, include overviews of the taxonomy of living organisms (“tree of life”), cell com

munication, signaling and metabolic pathways, epigenetic modifications, apoptosis (programmed cell death), RNA interference, studies in genomics, origins of cancer, principles of gene therapy, and other topics.

A single-author book of this size cannot provide all the details on which specialized scientific knowledge is based. However, it can present an individual perspective suitable as an introduction. This hopefully will stimulate further interest. I have selected many topics to emphasize the intersection of theoretical fundamentals and the medical applications of genetics. Diseases are included as examples representing genetic principles, but without the many details required in practice.

Throughout the book I have emphasized the importance of evolution in understanding genetics. As noted by the great geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky, “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” Indeed, genetics and the science of evolution are intimately connected. For the many young readers naturally interested in the future, I have included a historical perspective. Whenever possible and appropriate, I have referred to the first description of a discovery. This is a reminder that the platform of knowledge today rests on previous advances.

All color plates were prepared for publication by Jurgen Wirth, Professor of Visual Communication at the Faculty of Design, University of Applied Sciences, Darmstadt, Germany 1986- 2005. He created all the illustrations from computer drawings, hand sketches, or photographs assembled for each plate by the author. I am deeply indebted to Professor Jurgen Wirth for the most pleasant cooperation. His most skillful work is a fundament of this book. I thank my wife, Mary Fetter Passarge, MD, for her careful editing of the manuscript and for her numerous helpful suggestions. At Thieme International, Stuttgart, I was guided and supported by Stephan Konnry. I also wish to thank Stefanie Langner and Elisabeth Kurz of the Production Department for the pleasant cooperation.

Product details

• Publisher : Thieme Publishing Group (Sept. 27 2006)
• Language : English
• Paperback : 470 pages
• ISBN-10 : 3131003634
• ISBN-13 : 978-3131003638
• Item weight : 467 g
• Dimensions : 13.21 x 2.21 x 19.2 cm