details of the hypophyseal and ocular rudiments, while a final one shows 

 the structure of the wall of the future hemispheres. All figures are clearly 

 labeled; they are accompanied by a concise explanatory text and an alpha- 

 betical index. 



20 ATLAS D'EMBRYOLOGIE HUMAINE 



Vol.1 

 1969 

 By M. Solere Librairie Maloine S.A. 



120 pp., 82 figs. Paris 



(paper-bound) Price: F 28. — 



This is the first volume of a new atlas of human embryology designed 

 for the use of medical students at different stages of their curriculum. The 

 later volumes will deal with the organogenesis of all the major organ systems. 

 The present volume contains a brief survey of early development up to the 

 stage of the flat three-layered embryo, and further concentrates on the 

 longitudinal and transverse delimitation of the embryo, on the formation of 

 the median digestive tube, and on the early extra- and intra-embryonic 

 circulation and its relationship with the endodermal structures. The whole 

 study is based on carefully preserved and meticulously sectioned embryonic 

 material present at the Broussais Medical Faculty in Paris. 



The most important constituents of an atlas are its plates. In this case 

 these consist of diagrams and photomicrographs, which are both of very 

 good quality. The text is restricted to explanations of the plates. The 

 diagrams are highly schematized and not intended to be realistic, but they 

 are remarkably clear and uniform in style. The photographs are mostly 

 superb, and wherever necessary they are clarified by diagrams. The utmost 

 care has been devoted to the labeling of all illustrations. 



Details such as the formation of the bile ducts and the subdivision of the 

 cloaca are well represented. The formation of the intestinal loop in the yolk 

 stalk, and the fate of the cloaca are presented on the basis of new concepts 

 emerging from the author's own research. The authors of older concepts 

 are mentioned, but literature references are lacking. 



The book is very well printed; the typography is somewhat obtrusive, but 

 no doubt effective from a didactic point of view. The book is concluded by 

 a subject index. 



21 INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN EMBRYOLOGY 



1968 

 By J. B. Thomas Lea 6 Febiger 



348 pp., 82 figs., 2 tbs. Philadelphia 



Price: $ 12.50 



This book is not meant to be "another text-book of embryology"; the 

 author's aim has been to describe human prenatal development within a broad 

 frame of reference, and particularly to integrate it with data that classically 

 belong to the domain of obstetrics: the diverse reactions of the maternal 

 organism. Incidentally, for this very reason the choice of the title seems 

 unfortunate. The approach chosen has entailed a chronological treatment 

 instead of the usual systematic one. While this may not appeal to the true 

 embryologist, it has the advantage that the story of prenatal development is 

 a more or less continuous one, which goes hand in hand with the corres- 

 ponding story of pregnancy. 



Characteristically, the book opens with a chapter on puberty. After 

 descriptions of the male and female reproductive systems, a chapter by 



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