"LA PARTHfiNOGENfiSE ANIMALE" 

 1950 



by J. Rostand Presses Universitaires de France. Paris 



161 pp. with ^6 figs Price: 1344 fr. 



This little book is of great value, particularly for workers in the specialized 

 field covered by it. The subject is treated on a very broad basis, including the 

 oldest as well as the most recent data, theories as well as techniques, the natural 

 as well as the experimental aspects, the lower as well as the higher animals. 

 Finally it also deals with the related subjects of gynogenesis, androgenesis and 

 parthcno-merogony. 



The book is written in a very clear style, almost as if it had been intended for 

 didactical purposes. As this can hardly be the case, some of the more elemen- 

 tary information seems rather irrelevant. For such a specialized type of mono- 

 graph as this book, the system and number of literature references is definitely 

 insufficient. The bibliography contains only 17 titles! Other references are 

 given in footnotes and in the text in an arbitrary way. making access to the 

 original literature rather difficult. On the other hand an index of authors' 

 names. Comprising about 200 entries, is a good help when using the book as 

 a quick-reference work. 



The diagrams, so important in this field of science, are of good quality. As 

 regards the other illustrations, it is a pity that many of these are of little other 

 than decorative value, since it is difficult to distinguish a parthenogenetic indi- 

 vidual from a normal one, especially when the normal one is not pictured. 

 Moreover, the reproduction of the photographs is unsatisfactory, while in many 

 cases two or three pictures have been used where one would have been suffic- 

 ient. The total absence of references to the illustrations in the text produces 

 on unfortunate lack of unity betw^een these components of the book. 



The typography of the book is old-fashioned. Better binding, typography 

 and reproduction of the photographs would make it more valuable with only a 

 slight increase in price. 



J. FABER 



"ENTWICKLUNGSPROBLEME" 



1953 



by L. V. Ubisch Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena 



196 pp. with 65 figs Price: 12,70 D.M. 



In this theoretical biological work the author discusses the fundamental 

 problem of differentiation during embryonic development. He starts from the 

 statement that the experimental analysis has shown that the successive nuclear 

 divisions are genetically equal, so that the development of a spatial segregation 

 in the egg must be based upon the cell plasm. According to the author the role 

 of the genes has been entirely left out of consideration in the existing theories 

 of mosaic distribution of organ-forming substances, and in those in which gra- 

 dient-fields are considered to determine regional organization. The author 

 emphasizes that general theories on development must also hold for the asexual 

 reproduction which leads to the same spatial organization. As a necessary 

 limitation of the material presented, only the development of the Invertebrates 

 has been considered in this work. 



196 



