Genetics & Inherited Conditions

Genetics & Inherited Conditions Synopsis

An A-Z encyclopedia offering nonspecialist information about 460 topics in genetics, from the science behind this important field to diseases that can be passed down among generations.

The Printed Reference

• Three volumes, including 1,236 pages
• 459 Essays, 239 New
• 200 Photos & Illustrations
• Appendixes, indexes and resource listings

Online Access

• Fully supported
• Unlimited users at your library
• Full access from home or dorm room
• Immediate access via online registration
• A simple, intuitive interface
• User profile areas for students and patrons
• Sophisticated search functions
• Complete content, including appendixes
• Fully illustrated

Salem Health: Genetics and Inherited Conditions, Second Edition alphabetically arranges 459 essays on diseases, biology, techniques, methodologies, genetic engineering, biotechnology, ethics, and social issues. Written for nonspecialists by professors and professional medical writers, this comprehensive reference publication will interest health-care consumers, premedical students, public library patrons, and librarians building scientific collections.

Designed for the general reader, Salem Health: Genetics and Inherited Conditions, Second Edition is a revised and expanded version of Salem's award-winning Encyclopedia of Genetics, published in 2004. It adds 237 topics new to the encyclopedia, many of them diseases and conditions that are known to be genetic in origin to some degree. In addition, two entries from the last edition were replaced and 79 were heavily revised by experts to bring them up to date. All other previously published entries were reedited and their bibliographies updated with the latest sources. All appendixes were updated by science experts.

Essays vary in length from two to six pages. All entries begin with a line defining that topic's category. Essays on diseases and inherited conditions are divided into the sections ""Definition,"" ""Risk Factors,"" ""Etiology and Genetics of This Disorder,"" ""Symptoms,"" ""Screening and Diagnosis,"" ""Treatment and Therapy,"" and ""Prevention and Outcomes."" All other types of essays begin with a statement of significance, provide a list of key terms and their definitions, and feature topical subheadings to guide readers through the text. All entries end with a byline, including the author's credentials, and a list of sources for further information from both print and online resources, many of them annotated. The encyclopedia also includes sidebars and photos that expand on key aspects of the topic under discussion.

All three volumes offer a ""Complete Table of Contents"" and category index that divides the contents of the set, both for easy identification of desired topics. In addition, six appendixes at the end of volume 3 offer readers a ""Biographical Dictionary of Geneticists,"" a list of ""Nobel Prizes for Discoveries in Genetics,"" a ""Time Line of Major Developments in Genetics"" from prehistoric times to the present, a ""Glossary"" of scientific terms, a general ""Bibliography"" arranged by category, an annotated listing of relevant ""Web Sites,""a personages index of important figures in the field, and a comprehensive subject index.