1 PHILOSOPHISCHE ASPEKTE IN DER 

 ENTWICKLUNGSPHYSIOLOGIE DER TIERE 



1970 

 by E. Bandlow VEB Gustav Fischer Verlag 



104 pp., 4 figs. Jena 



(paper-bound) Price: M 10.90 



It is rather striking that within a period of four years two Eastern-German 

 authors have written short books on philosophical aspects of development (see 

 Plesse, 1967, reviewed in General Embryological Information Service, sup- 

 plement 1968). Apparently dialectic-materialistic philosophers are strongly 

 attracted by developmental phenomena because these lend themselves part- 

 icularly well to adstruct certain aspects of this particular brand of philosophy. 



Aside from the particular marxist predilections of the author, the present 

 book contains a measure of interesting thought on the great problems of 

 animal morphogenesis. Much of the treatment centres around a critical dis- 

 cussion of neo-vitalist theories, and in most of this almost any present-day 

 embryologist will find himself in agreement with the author's views. This 

 also holds for what he has to say on fields and gradients and on the principle 

 of interaction in embryonic development. 



On the other hand, there is little in the book that is really new or very 

 original. One particularly misses a discussion of an important concept like 

 canalization, and a reference to recent models based on cybernetics and 

 systems analysis. Much of the literature cited is rather old. 



2 THE AFRICAN CLAWED TOAD XENOPUS LAEVIS 



A guide for laboratory practical work 

 1970 

 by A. L. Brown Butterworth 6 Co. Ltd. 



155 pp., 36 figs. London 



(paper-bound) SBN 408 40300 4 



Price: 18 s. 



Xenopus laevis today is very widely used by developmental biologists. This 

 guide was written for use in schools and colleges, where Xenopus is gradually 

 replacing the frog, at least in Great Britain. Consequently it contains little 

 embryology in the strict sense. On the other hand, the sections on biology, 

 maintenance, diseases, artificial breeding, and rearing of tadpoles contain 

 much that may be of considerable help to those starting research on this 

 material. The author obviously has accumulated much experience over the 

 years, which is arranged in a series of short and easily surveyable chapters. 



The book is of handy oblong format and is illustrated with simple but clear 

 line drawings. Among these is a useful chart showing the speed of develop- 

 ment at various temperatures. There is a brief bibliography and a subject 

 index. 



3 BIOLOGIE DER GEBURT 



Eine Einfuhrung in die vergleichende Geburtskunde 



1970 

 by C. Naaktgeboren and E. J. Slijper f Verlag Paul Parey 



225 pp., 126 figs., 13 tbs. Hamburg - Berlin 



Price: DM 48.— 



Contents: I. Vergleichende Geburtskunde; II. Weibliche Fortpflanzungsorgane und Geburts- 

 weg; III. Das Schwangerschaftsprodukt; IV. Die Geburt des Tieres; V. Die Regulierung der 

 Geburtsfunktion; VI. Die Geburtslage der Frucht; VII. Die Nabelschnur; VIII. Das Neu- 

 geborene; IX. Die Mutter nach der Geburt. 



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