Symposium reports 



32. 



R,D. FREEMAN, ed. 1979. DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY OF VISION 

 Plenum, New York, etc. NATO Advanced Study Inst. Series A: Life Sciences 

 vol.27. XIV, 446 pp., 158 figs., 8 tabs., subject index. $ 39.50; countries 

 outside USA ca.$ 47.50 



Contents : 1 . Studies of the kitten's visual system (12 papers), II. Studies 

 of the cat's visual system (7), III. Studies of the monkey's visual sys- 

 tem (3), IV. Studies of the human's visual system (4), V. Studies of the 

 visual systems of various sub-primate species (9), VI. Neurochemical 

 studies (2) 



This collection of short review and research papers arose from an inter- 

 national conference held in Crete, Greece in September 1978. It is a book 

 for the specialist and it is difficult to discern a central theme. By far 

 the majority of the papers deal with postnatal mammals. 



In section V the following papers may be of interest to embryologists : 

 Fraser on neuroplasticity in Xenopus , Bunt et al. on nerve fibre guidance 

 mechanisms and polarity control in visual projection, and Rubinson and 

 Kennedy on the organisation of the optic tectum in the lamprey. Of the two 

 papers in Section VI one deals with the cholinergic system in the chicken 

 retina and the other with enzyme development in dissociated chick embryo 

 brain cells. 



The volume is well printed and adequately illustrated. 



33. 



J.V.RUCH, organiser. 1979. TOOTH MORPHOGENESIS AND DIFFERENTIATION; an in- 

 ternational workshop 



Edit. S.N.P.M.D., Paris. Journal de Biol. Buccale vol.6, p. 187-342 and vol.7, 

 p. 37-156. 271 pp., 183 figs., 17 tabs. FFr. 150.00 



Contents: Aspects of odontogenesis in lower vertebrates (2 papers); Phylo- 

 genetic aspects of odontogenesis (3); Aspects of odontogenesis in mammalia 

 (6); Aspects of ameloblast differentiation (2); Biochemical aspects of 

 odontogenesis (6) 



This international workshop was held near Strasbourg (France) in September 

 1978. Its publication in book form will be welcomed by all those interested 

 in tooth development and by many other morphogeneticists as well. Some of 

 the more theoretically oriented papers (particularly those by Butler, Osborn 

 and Lumsden) are interesting because, despite certain controversies, they 

 provide a good overview of the problems of pattern formation in a system 

 that is not usually treated in books on that subject. 



The 33 contributors are from France, various other European countries, 

 Israel and North America. The 20 papers vary greatly in format; some are 

 brief research reports, others longer review-like or theoretical accounts; 

 all have summaries in three languages. A variety of animal forms are dealt 

 with, and many sophisticated methods applied. The 15-page introductory paper 

 on epithelial-mesenchymal interactions is by Slavkin. 



The book is well produced and has beautiful illustrations. 



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