chick embryo. The book is essentially an inventory of chemical constituents and 

 processes, presented without much discussion or interpretation. It is invaluable 

 as a source book, but should not be regarded as an introduction to developmental 

 biochemistry. 



The organization of the subject matter will be apparent from the table of 

 contents above. The text is supplemented by 159 pages of tabulated basic data, 

 comprising 49 tables, 37 in the text, and 1 2 in an appendix at the end of the book. 

 For these tables the quantitative data were recalculated into comparable units of 

 measurement; they are given at daily intervals of development, both as absolute 

 values and as concentrations. Wherever possible, the data were corrected for 

 the most pronounced variables, such as egg weight and incubation temperature. 

 Ranges of variability of measurements are often indicated. 



The text is interspersed with many smaller tables and numerous very clear 

 original graphs. Most of these are composite and illustrate important inter- 

 relationships of various sets of data. The book is concluded by an extensive 

 subject index. The price of the book is excessive. 



27 THE MOUSE, ITS REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT 



1968 



By Roberts Rugh Burgess Publishing Cy. 



430 pp., 374 figs., 15 tbs. Minneapolis, Minn. 



This embryological treatise was written by an author who, as a teacher of 

 embryology, has been dissatisfied with the use of the pig embryo, and who be- 

 lieves that it will be widely replaced by the mouse embryo within a few years. 

 The book is based on data, gathered during many years, on the normal devel- 

 opment of the CFI-S mouse, maintained under rigidly controlled conditions, 

 using a mating technique which secures well-timed pregnancies. 



The introductory chapter deals with general aspects of reproduction in the 

 mouse, while the second chapter describes the reproductive systems of male 

 and female adult mice. Chapter three deals with mating, fertihzation, and early 

 development up to 7]/^ days. Chapter four consists of descriptions of embryos 

 of from 8 till 11 days (at half-day intervals), and from 11 till 16 days (at daily 

 intervals). The last chapter treats organogenesis in separate organ systems. 

 Then follow 19 pages of addenda, consisting of tables and charts compiling 

 miscellaneous data of practical significance, among them comparative tables of 

 mouse and rat, and of mouse and human development, and a time table of various 

 organ primordia in the mouse. 



The main text is interspersed with very many illustrations, and with numerous 

 tables compiling a wealth of information on mouse development. This is no doubt 

 the most extensive and varied source of data on mouse embryology ever publish- 

 ed, and as such is an impressive achievement. 



The book is produced in offset print on good quality paper. The drawings are 

 executed with the utmost care and are clearly labelled, resulting in an artistically 

 and didactically most satisfactory result. The reproduction of the photographs, 

 on the other hand, is often unsatisfactory, and particularly those of sections of 

 early stages often lack too much detail. 



The reviewer considers it a definite drawback that the figures and tables are 

 not numbered, and that no reference is ever made to them in the text. Much 



27 



