Modern laboratory and computing advances have made it possible to identify which genes are responsible for a disease (or other biological traits) and to identify those genes. This book presents a survey of the methods that are being used to generate these successes, especially to study disease in families. The methods of epidemiology and genetics are surveyed, and related to molecular genetic data, with examples from both pediatric and chronic disease. The pattern of variation that has been found is best understood from the evolutionary perspective. Because these methods and ideas apply to any biological trait, not just to disease, this is a general book about the genetic control of biological traits.

Preface; Part I. Genes and Their Expression: 1. What is a gene?; 2. The logic of the genome; 3. Concepts of frequency and association in populations; 4. Genes and phenotypes in populations; Part II. Introduction to Genetic Epidemiology: Inference from Observational Data: 5. Segregation analysis: discrete traits in families; 6. Segregation analysis: quantitative traits in families; 7. Linkage analysis: finding and mapping genes for qualitative traits; 8. Linkage analysis: finding and mapping genes for quantitative traits; Part III. Evolution: The Time Dimension in Populations: 9. Genes over time and space; 10. Reconstructing history: the footprints of evolution; 11. Evolution generates heterogeneity; Part IV. Modification of the Inherited Genotype: The Time Dimension in Individuals: 12. Phenotype amplification by the environment; 13. Infectious disease: the response to biological challenge; 14. Variation within the inherited genotype; 15. Cancer and ageing: a microcosm of evolution during life; Afterwords: towards a unified general model; Conclusion; Notes; References; Index.