"VERGLEICHENDE EMBRYOLOGIE DER NIEDEREN 

 WIRBELLOSEN" 

 1956 

 by A. A. Sachwatkin V.E.B. Deutscher Verlag 



(translated from the Russian edition, der Wissenschaften, Berlin 



Moscow. 1949) Price: D.M. 29.20 



401 pp. with 125 figs 



According to the introduction, this book is meant as a contribution to "evo- 

 lutionary embryology", in other words to the problem of the historical origin 

 of multicellularity and ontogenesis in Metazoa. It is at the same time meant 

 to be a contribution to a revival of the "materialistic tradition of classical Rus- 

 sian embryology", which is said to be founded on the work of Metschnikow. 

 In this sense, according to the author, the book opposes the "disproportionately 

 stressed and unjustified development of the methodologically inadequate disci- 

 pline of developmental mechanics, which has in practise banished from Em- 

 bryology all progressive trends". 



It follows that the character of the book is highly theoretical. As a conse- 

 quence of its theoretical starting-point, it deals mainly with the unicellular and 

 the "lower" multicellular organisms, so that among the embryonic processes 

 discussed the stress comes to lie on cleavage, segregation of sex cells and 

 primary metamorphosis (including gastrulation). 



The bibliography (composed by the editors) is not very extensive, but makes 

 mention of many papers and books from outside Eastern Europe. The illustra- 

 tions, all line-drawings, are well executed without exception. 



"GENERAL GENETICS" 

 1956 



by M. J. Sirks Martinus Nijhoff. The Hague 



628 pp. with 238 figs and 5 pis Price: H.fl. 35.— 



(translated from the 5th Dutch edition) 



This book is the revised and augmented English translation of a Dutch 

 book, the first edition of which appeared in 1922, and the latest in 1951. 



The book tries to establish an equilibrium between genetics as it was built 

 up before 1940, and genetics as it has developed since. Therefore, consider- 

 able attention is devoted to the earlier work in this field of science, and this 

 work is time and again used as a basis for the discussion of more recent work. 

 In connection with this feature, in the extensive bibliography the older literar 

 ture is particularly well represented. 



This general trend of the book makes it seem particularly well suited as a 

 text book for students and teachers, and so do also the numerous and very 

 well reproduced illustrations, and the didactically clear style of writing. The 

 typography and appearance of the book are excellent. 



"PRECIS D'HISTOLOGIE" 



4th edition. 1956 

 by J. Verne Masson et Cie., Paris 



(formerly A. Branca & J. Verne) Price: Fr.fr. 2600 (sewn), 



690 pp. with 408 figs 3200 (cloth bound) 



The first edition of this concise handbook appeared in 1934. It is meant in 



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