Boy Who Wasn’t Short

human stories from the revolution in genetic medicine

Häftad, Engelska, 2021

182 kr

Skickas . Fri frakt över 249 kr.

Beskrivning

A geneticist tells the stories of men, women, and children whose genes have shaped their lives in unexpected ways.It was while listening to a colleague tell the parents of a newborn girl that their daughter was going to die that a lifelong interest in genetic medicine was sparked in Dr Edwin Kirk. Warmth and gentleness tempered a direct, sure manner — this was the medicine he wanted to practise, where the most advanced science and the most deeply human meet. Twenty-five years later, Dr Kirk works both with patients and in the lab, and he spearheads a campaign that will change the way we think about having babies. His experience is without parallel, but it is his humour and insight that make all the difference.Find out why Dr Kirk found himself among hundreds of people, each with a glass of poison in front of them — and how you might perform the same experiment yourself (without the poison). Learn how the realisation that a young boy wasn’t short ended up saving the life of his mother — and how Angelina Jolie has saved the lives of many more. Sit in the room with Dr Kirk and his patients as they navigate the world of heartbreaking uncertainties, tantalising possibilities, and thorny questions of morality. In genetics, it is the particularities of an individual’s history that matter, and here, in clear and considerate writing, those individual stories are given voice.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2021-05-13
Mått:153 x 234 x 22 mm
Vikt:368 g
Format:Häftad
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:288
Förlag:Scribe Publications
ISBN:9781912854363
Utmärkelser:Winner of BMA Medical Book Award, Popular Medicine 2022 (UK)

Utforska kategorier

Populärvetenskap inom Naturvetenskap och teknik
Biovetenskap inom Naturvetenskap och teknik
Medicinsk genetik inom Medicin

Mer om författaren

Professor Edwin Kirk is both a clinical geneticist and a genetic pathologist, a rare combination. As a clinician, he sees patients at Sydney Children’s Hospital, where he has worked for more than 20 years; his laboratory practice is in the New South Wales Health Pathology Genomics Laboratory at Randwick.Kirk is a conjoint appointee in the School of Women’s and Children’s Health at the University of New South Wales, an experienced medical educator, and currently Chief Examiner in Genetics for the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia. He is also a respected researcher, working in the fields of cardiac genetics, metabolic diseases, and intellectual disability, as well as studying reproductive carrier screening, and is a co-author of more than 100 publications in scientific journals, which have been cited by other researchers more than 4,000 times. He is one of the co-leads and public faces of the $20 million Mackenzie’s Mission carrier screening project.Kirk lives in Sydney with his wife and three children. In his spare time, he competes in ocean swimming races, slowly, and plays the saxophone, loudly.

Recensioner i media

‘This is an excellent book that explores the history, ethics, patient stories, and explanations of science in a sensitive and relatable way. It is a very readable book that does not overwhelm the reader with scientific facts. It takes a complicated topic in medicine and makes genetics accessible to a wider audience.’