This book is a collection of papers dealing with diseases that are possibly, probably, or certainly inherited and have a possible, probable, or certain relation to the development of cutaneous or other cancers. Most of the entities discussed have some cutaneous component. The chapters are written by a number of authors who approach their topics from different directions. Some are concerned with organ systems, some with biochemical modes of transmission, some with mendelian inheritance, some with disease entities, and some with physical clues to internal cancer. It becomes apparent, therefore, that this is an uneven book.
The lack of cohesion in this work does not interfere seriously with the interest and educational value of many of its chapters. Kaplan's concise discussion of the fundamentals of genetics is clear, well written, and self-contained. Riccardi and Cleaver give a superb exposition of Cleaver's important studies in DNA excision-repair deficit in xeroderma pigmentosum.