General Developmental Biology (see also 39, 67, 74) 



Textbooks 



1 



CONTROL OF GROWTH AND METAMORPHOSIS, Part II of Animal Hormones, a comparative 



survey. 1970. By P. M. JENKIN 



Pergamon Press, Oxford. International Series of Monographs in Pure and Applied Biology, 



Div. Zoology, vol. 47. 404 pp., 81 figs., 26 tabs., author, taxonomic, and subject indexes. 



ISBN 08 015648 7. £ 5.—, $13.50 



Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Sources of hormones related to morphogenesis; 3. Growth 

 and mitosis; 4. Moulting and metamorphosis; 5. Control of morphogenetic hormones 



Part I of this book appeared in 1962 and bore the subtitle "Kinetic and metabolic hormones". 

 The present volume treats of the "morphogenetic" hormones of both invertebrates and verte- 

 brates in so far as they are concerned in the control of growth, moulting, and metamorphosis. 

 The hormones related to reproduction and regeneration are only touched upon occasionally in 

 this volume. Man and the domestic animals are usually only referred to in passing. 



Because of the comprehensive and rigorously systematic treatment of the subject matter 

 the book is of great value to developmental biologists and advanced students, both as a 

 stimulating text in its own right and as a source of important references. Of particular 

 significance is the use of clearly defined hormone nomenclature throughout the book, and 

 the emphasis on the functional integration of endocrine organs with each other and with the 

 nervous system in chapter 5. 



Chapter 1 devotes much attention to problems of definition. In chapter 2 the endocrine 

 glands are grouped according to their embryonic origin from either ectoderm, endoderm, or 

 mesoderm. Chapter 3 first treats effects on general growth, and then effects on mitosis 

 specifically. At the end of chapter 4 the general features of morphogenetic hormones are 

 discussed, such as species specificity and differential tissue responses; this is followed by 

 a discussion of the possible mechanisms of hormone action. 



The book is well produced and is illustrated with carefully selected drawings executed in 

 uniform style, and with a few photographs. Each chapter has its own bibliography. For most 

 subjects the most recent literature cited dates from 1966. The author stresses that the reference 

 lists are not exhaustive. The book contains a useful glossary. 



2 



AN INTRODUCTION TO EMBRYOLOGY. 3rd edition. 1970. By B. I. BALINSKY 



W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia. 743 pp., 457 figs., 21 tabs., subject index. $ 10.00, £ 4 5 s. Od. 



This is the third edition of a successful students' textbook first published in 1960. The first 

 edition was reviewed in Gen. Embryol. Inf. Service, suppl. to vol. 8, 1960, p. 26. Much of what 

 was said then still applies, but although the author's approach was novel in 1960, one now 

 fears that the book is being superseded by other similar books written from a more modern 

 point of view. Moreover, the book which was rather long for an introduction even then, has 

 now grown to a size which raises doubts as to its usefulness for the time-pressed biology 

 student of today. No doubt much of the older factual and theoretical subject matter could 

 have been weeded out, and some of the space used to update some sections. For instance, 

 the chapter on regeneration, however appropriate in a book of this kind, is far from up-to-date 

 More examples could be cited. 



Much new material was incorporated into this edition, but not in a very consistent manner, 

 and the evidence cited is often rather old. The new material relates particularly to the storage 

 and transmission of genetic information, to genetic factors in embryogenesis, to nucleo- 

 cytoplasmic interactions, and to the control of differentiation and growth. 



The book has been produced with the utmost care and the illustrations are excellent. The 

 bibliography is long but shows surprising gaps. It would also have benefited from the 

 separate listing of books and important reviews. 



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