Genetic & Other Rare Diseases

search by disease | web search | catalogs | references | search tutorials

Search by Disease

These Search Engines are particularly useful for locating information on a particular disease, set of diseases, support groups and the like.

  • Gene Cards: database of information on all human genes for the medical professionals.
  • Health Information Resource Database Search: connects health professionals and consumers to organizations able to answer their questions.
  • Medicine Online: this site's primary targets are physicians and health care professionals and promises up-to-date medical resources, medical information, medical references, and connections for just about anyone in the medical or health field.
  • Medline: this service, once fee-restricted, allows you to find medical abstracts on various diseases. For an additional fee you can obtain the entire article(s) of interest. Our link is to PubMed.
  • Medsite: use keyword searches to find medical information.
  • Search MedWeb, a comprehensive medical directory from Emory University in Georgia.
  • Neuroscience Web Search: search for information on neurologically-related diseases and disorders.
  • NORD Database: the National Organization for Rare Disorders allows you to search their database for support groups and disease information.
  • OMIM: perhaps the foremost source for genetic diseases on the web is the hypertext version of Victor McKusick's landmark reference the Online Mendelian Inheritance In Man. Although written in medical terminology you will find it usually has updated information on most all the recognized genetic diseases. Additionally, OMIM has research citations, which can be easily followed to Medline for further information.

Web Search - go to top

  • Alta Vista
  • Dogpile: a multisearch site that displays results from the other major search engines.
  • Excite: includes a directory of websites in addition to their Search Engine.
  • Internet Sleuth: a meta search site that also categorizes Internet search engines in relevant directories.
  • Infoseek: includes a directory of websites in addition to their Search Engine.
  • Look Smart: primarily a directory of websites, searches are allowed as well.
  • Lycos: includes a directory of websites in addition to their Search Engine.
  • Web Crawler: includes a directory of websites in addition to their Search Engine.
  • Yahoo: the premiere catalog of websites, web searches are allowed as well.
  • FindLaw (Internet Legal Resources): a catalogue/search engine similar to Yahoo for Legal resources on the Web.
  • Forum One: search for online discussion threads or browse their catalog of web Message Boards.
  • tile.net: search by keywords in your choice of mailing lists, newsgroups, ftp directories and more.
  • Switchboard: a tool for finding people and businesses on the Internet.
  • What's New on Yahoo: new additions to Yahoo are posted daily in an easy-to-use categorized format; a great way to keep up on new websites!

Catalogues, Lists & References - go to top

Catalist (a catalogue of Listserv® Lists): find an email discussion group and instructions for joining it.
Health and Disability-related Mailing Lists: Family Village's compendium of email discussion groups focusing on health and disabilities.
Lizst, the Mailing List Directory: a catalogue of available email discussion groups.
Special Needs Listservs: a summary of mailing lists specifically directed at families of children with special needs.

References & Dictionaries - go to top

Acronym and Abbreviation Server: enter an acronym and get its full meaning returned.
Medlineplus: Medical Dictionary: definitions of medical terms with links to further information on the Internet.
The Electric Library: since this is a subscription fee-based service, it may not be an option for everyone. For this fee ($9.95/month US dollars) you get search access to hundreds of newspapers, magazines & periodicals. There is a free 30 day trial period, which should make your decision less painful financially.
Glossary of Medical Genetics: a great glossary of genetic terms with definitions.
Life Sciences Dictionary from Biotech: search for words and phrases in the fields of genetics, cell biology and others.
The Merck Manual: an essential guide for finding answers to medically-related questions.
Multilingual Glossary of Medical Terms: presented in a choice of nine European languages, this site links you to various glossaries and dictionaries.
Patient's Guide to Healthcare Information on the Internet: An extensive guide to locating and researching medical information on the Internet.
Spellex Online Medical Dictionary: this site will help you find the correct spelling for medical terms.
The Genome Database at Johns Hopkins: a catalogue of genetic disorders by chromosome location; easy to use and informative.


Tutorials & Guides - go to top