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The Dawn of Human Genetics

By V.V. Babkov
Edited By James Schwartz; Translated from the Russian by Victor Fet

© 2013 • 775 pp., illus. (91 B&W ), index
Hardcover • $69 • ISBN 978-1-936113-70-5

In Russia, the initial euphoria of the Bolshevik leaders for a new socialist society ... combined with a commitment to a truly universal health care system, gave a huge boost to the emergence of both the eugenic and medical aspects of human genetics. The obstacles that proved so formidable to the successful launch of the field in the West—the lack of available data on the genealogy of diseases in families, the difficulty in getting a statistically significant number of identical twins to study, and the skepticism of the medical establishment—were all swept aside in the Soviet Union. In the 1920s ... the groundwork was laid for a uniquely Russian approach to medical genetics and (the foundation of) the world’s leading center for the study of the genetic basis of many diseases and human genetics in general. The immense success of the movement, which is little known even to Russians, is brought to life in V.V. Babkov’s The Dawn of Human Genetics, as is its dramatic and violent end, which resulted in the “liquidation” of many of the country’s finest biologists, as well as a major setback to the development of world science. Like many other promising ideas and projects that were born in the Soviet Union, this one was abruptly truncated and then virtually eradicated.

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The Strongest Boy in the World: How Genetic Information is Reshaping Our Lives, Updated and Expanded Edition

By Philip R. Reilly

© 2008 • 300 pp., illus., bibliography, index
Paperback • $16 • ISBN 978-087969943-7

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Neither Gods Nor Beasts
How Science Is Changing Who We Think We Are

By Elof A. Carlson, Emeritus, State University of New York at Stony Brook

© 2008 • 180 pp., index
Hardcover • $29 $14.50 • ISBN 978-087969786-0

Traditional views of human nature focus on the supernatural, defining us as creatures with souls, minds, and spirits that transcend our physical attributes. In this provocative book, distinguished scientist and historian Elof Axel Carlson argues for a different understanding of ourselves based on our biology—cellular organization, genetics, life cycle, evolution, and our origins as a species. This interpretation does not negate our capacity for imagination, spiritual and emotional yearnings, or aesthetic appreciation for art, music, and literature. Carlson challenges educators, the media, and public policy makers to integrate the evidence from science more fully into our understanding of ourselves.

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Davenport’s Dream: 21^st Century Reflections on Heredity & Eugenics

Edited By Jan A. Witkowski, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; John R. Inglis, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

© 2008 • 490 pp., illus.
Hardcover • $55 $27.50 • ISBN 978-087969756-3

In 1911, the influential geneticist Charles Davenport published Heredity in Relation to Eugenics, advancing his ideas of how genetics would improve society in the 20th century. It became a college textbook and a foundation for the widespread eugenics movement in the United States. Nearly 100 years later, many of the issues raised by Davenport are again being debated, in different guises. In this new volume, prominent academics discuss themes from Davenport’s book—human genetic variation, mental illness, nature vs. nurture, human evolution—in a contemporary context. Davenport’s original book is reprinted along with the essays. This book will be useful to historians of science as well as those interested in the social implications of human genetics research—past, present, and future.

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Times of Triumph, Times of Doubt: Science and the Battle for Public Trust

By Elof Axel Carlson, Professor Emeritus, State University of New York at Stony Brook

© 2006 • 227 pp., index
Hardcover • $39 $15.60 • ISBN 978-087969805-8

The intent and uses of science are a continuing preoccupation, especially in public debates on issues such as new pharmaceuticals, cloning, stem cells, genetically modified foods, and assisted reproduction. Times of Triumph, Times of Doubt, written by the eminent geneticist and historian Elof Carlson, explores the moral foundations of science and their role in these hot–button issues. Carlson chooses a variety of case histories and describes their scientific background and the part played by scientists in the application of their work, including their motivations and reactions to bad outcomes, both real and alleged. He examines why ethical lapses have occurred in these areas, why bad things happen when, for the most part, those who worked on the science had only good intentions in mind, and how such lapses can be prevented from occurring in the future. This exploration of ethics and science is important reading for those interested in issues of science and society, including journalists, theologians, legislators, lawyers, and scientists themselves.

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Pandora's Baby: How the First Test Tube Babies Sparked the Reproductive Revolution

By Robin Marantz Henig

© 2006 • 326 pp.
Paperback • $16.95 $8.47 • ISBN 978-087969809-6

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A Passion for DNA: Genes, Genomes, and Society

By James D. Watson, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
With an Introduction, Afterword, and Annotations by Walter Gratzer, King’s College London

© 2001 • 266 pp., index
(Published /distributed in conjunction with Oxford University Press.
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Paperback • $16 • ISBN 978-087969609-2

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The Unfit: A History of a Bad Idea

By Elof Axel Carlson, Professor Emeritus, State University of New York at Stony Brook

© 2001 • 451 pp., illus., bibliography, indexes
Book of the Year for 2001 in Amazon's Professional Science Category!
Hardcover • $26 $6.50 • ISBN 978-087969587-3

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Abraham Lincoln's DNA and Other Adventures in Genetics

By Philip R. Reilly, Interleukin Genetics and Tufts University School of Medicine

© 2000 • 339 pp., illus., indexes, references
Paperback • $16 • ISBN 978-087969649-8

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A Passion for DNA: Genes, Genomes, and Society

By James D. Watson, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
With an Introduction, Afterword, and Annotations by Walter Gratzer, King’s College London

© 2000 • 250 pp., index
(Published /distributed in conjunction with Oxford University Press.
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Cloth • $26 • ISBN 978-087969581-1