DEVELOPMENT OF MAMMALS AND MAN (general) (see also 51) 



Treatises 



31. 



F.FALKNER and J. M. TANNER, eds. 1978. HUMAN GROWTH, Vol.1 Principles and 



prenatal growth 



Plenum, New York, etc. XX, 634 pp., 162 figs., 99 tabs., subject index. 



$ 42.00, E 22.05 



This is the first volume of a three-volume multi-author handbook, the 

 first to treat the subject in such breadth. The concept of growth applied by 

 the editors includes the physiology of development but excludes differentia- 

 tion. The 31 contributors to vol.1 are from North-America and various 

 Western-European countries; the large majority are working in hospitals or 

 bio-medical laboratories. No strict format was imposed on the contributions, 

 so they vary rather much in scope and length. 



The 21 chapters are arranged in four sections; topics of particular sig- 

 nificance to our readers are mentioned in parentheses: I. Developmental 

 Biology (adaptive mechanisms of growth control, biochemical development, de- 

 velopmental pharmacology, comparative growth); II. Biometrical Methods; III. 

 Genetics (genetics of fetal growth and of maturation) ; IV. Prenatal Growth 

 (anatomy and physiology of placenta, growth in twins, maternal nutrition, 

 metabolism of mother and fetus, fetal endocrinology, development of immune 

 response) . 



(Vols. 2 and 3 will contain sections on postnatal growth, neurobiology, and 

 nutrition. ) 



32. 



M.H.JOHNSON, ed. 1978. DEVELOPMENT IN MAMMALS. Vol.3 



North-Holland, Amsterdam, etc. VIII, 472 pp., 76 figs., 20 tabs., subject 



index. Dfl. 140.00, $ 61.00 



Contributors: Chilton, Daniel, Donahoe, Green, Heath, Martin, Meizel, Monk, 

 Morriss, O, Pratt, Snow, Swann, Thorogood, West 



This new volume of a promising series (see Gen. Embryol. Inf. Serv. vol.17, 

 pt.l, 1977, review no. 37) definitely fulfils the expectations engendered by 

 the first two volumes. The 12 specialised reviews average some 40 pages in 

 length. Most contain results unpublished at the time of writing as well as 

 new ideas and a certain amount of fertile speculation. Many of the authors 

 are younger scientists who have recently entered the field but are in the 

 forefront of research on mammalian embryos. The overlap between some of the 

 chapters is not a major drawback. 



The subject matter is again very diverse but the chapters fall into four 

 broad categories: the acrosome reaction (2 chapters) , cell interaction in 

 development (2), stem cells, pluripotentiality and the transmission of the 

 germ line (5), and morphogenesis (one each on proliferation centres, neural 

 crest migration and clonal growth) . 



The volume is well produced and illustrated with line drawings and good 

 photographic material. 



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