Abstract
The mapping of mouse mutations was a major project for the first half of the 20th Century. The early literature on the subject used confusing terms but Darbishire’s 1904 work was credited with showing the linkage of two color genes by the great geneticist, J.B. S. Haldane, his sister Naomi, and the deceased A.D. Sprunt in their 1915 paper. The American, Dunn credited Castle and Wright for the discovery for their 1915 paper. Linkages were rapidly found for a number of visible mutations and mapping increased at a logarithmic rate to mid-Century. Initially, the linkages were only “linkage groups’ but, as cytogenetics advanced and many chromosomal translocations were found, assignments to numbered chromosomes were made. As a number of biochemical and immunological markers were found and in vitro methods used, the number of assignments were so great that a committee of the scientists involved with each chromosome was needed to sort out the masses of data. Soon however, as the mouse genome was sequenced, placements became absolute by nucleotide number rather than just relative by crossover distances (centiMorgans) at the end of the Century.
