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	Biographical Information From "Musical Murmurs" to Medical Genetics, 1945-1960 The Bar Harbor Course and "McKusick's Catalog," 1960-1980 Beyond the Clinic: Genetic Studies of the Amish and Little People, 1960-1980s Medical Genetics, Molecular Biology, and the Human Genome Project, 1980-2008 Glossary Further Readings
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Victor McKusick is widely considered to be the founding father of medical genetics. An innovative clinician, medical educator, and researcher, he established the first medical genetics program and clinic at Johns Hopkins in 1957, conceived and compiled Mendelian Inheritance in Man, an annually updated catalog of human phenotypes (first published in 1966 and now published online), and conducted landmark studies of hereditary disorders in the Amish. He was an early advocate of mapping the human genome, and was closely involved in the early years of the Human Genome Project, and served as founding president of the Human Genome Organization (HUGO). In 1997 in recognition of his lifelong contributions he received the Lasker Award for Special Achievement in Medical Science.

The Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions is the repository for the Victor A. McKusick Papers, which range from 1921 to 2008. The collection contains correspondence, research data, photographs, lecture notes, financial records, reprints, manuscripts, audio tapes, committee minutes, slides, family papers, and interview transcripts.

As part of its Profiles in Science project, the National Library of Medicine has collaborated with the Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions to digitize and make available over the World Wide Web a selection of the Victor A. McKusick Papers for use by educators and researchers. This site provides access to the portions of the Victor A. McKusick Papers of the Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions that have been selected for digitization. Individuals interested in conducting research in the Victor A. McKusick Papers are invited to contact the Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.

This online Exhibit is designed to introduce you to the various phases of McKusick's scientific career and professional life. It is divided into sections that focus on McKusick's life and major scientific contributions. We suggest that new visitors begin with this exhibit, which includes a small selection of documents and visuals, organized within these sections. Each section begins with a "Background Narrative," which leads to "Documents" and "Visuals."

Visitors may access additional materials through Search on the navigation bar. They may also view the materials alphabetically or chronologically by choosing Browse on the navigation bar. Documents and visuals in these lists are arranged by format and then either alphabetically by title or chronologically.