Advances In Biometry

Thirty leading international figures celebrate 50 years of achievement in biometry Over the past half-century, biometry has grown from a fledgling application of statistics to a vital and dynamic field that is relevant to some of the most important, substantive scientific and social issues that face us today. Statistical methodology has played a central role in the interpretation of experimental data in such dissimilar areas of biological and medical research as genetics, toxicology, neurology, and clinical trials. It has been applied in both the study and the solution of practical problems in the areas of public health, forestry, animal habitats, environmental contamination, and many more. In this book, 30 leading researchers--many of whom have made outstanding contributions to our understanding of the living world--discuss their specific branches of the subject and reflect on the exciting interaction of mathematics, statistics, and biology that has characterized the growth of biometry. Beginning with a brief history of the International Biometric Society and its journal Biometrics on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the book goes on to offer a series of views on important developments in the field from two main perspectives: branches of statistical methodology that have played a central role in biometric applications, and branches of biology and medicine that have benefited from these applications. Selected topics are developed in depth, typically with a glance toward the future, and the book is extensively referenced throughout. Advances in Biometry is fascinating reading for students and researchers in applied statistics and mathematics, the biological and medical sciences, public health, and the environmental sciences.