Yeast research, which was originally concerned with improving wine-making and brewing processes, has played a major role in the development of a number of modern scientific disciplines. In the 20th century, investigations of yeasts laid the foundations for mitochondrial genetics and cell cycle research. Today, thousands of people are engaged in research on yeasts, studying their physiology, metabolism, genetics, and molecular biology and developing new applications for industry and medicine. The book describes the historical background of this important work. This book reviews the history of yeast research, beginning with fermentation research at the end of the 18th century. It traces our growing understanding of yeasts and their role in the evolution of microbiology, biochemistry, cytology, and genetics, and it includes an account of research on medical yeasts. Readers will learn how findings in yeast research were used to overcome complex problems and to develop currently accepted scientific concepts and methods. Author James Barnett has worked on yeasts in the laboratory for 50 years and accordingly emphasizes experimental evidence, reproducing many figures from the original researchers' work as well as illustrations of the equipment they used. The book is enlivened with images of many of the scientists and offers accounts of notable incidents in the lives of some of them. More than 2,400 references are included, and there are many direct quotations from these sources. With its detailed discussions of the development of theory, methods, and techniques, Yeast Research: a Historical Overview serves as a key resource for anyone teaching or learning microbiology, biochemistry, or general biology.