Monographs 



4. 



J.S.HUXLEY. 1972. PROBLEMS OF RELATIVE GROWTH. 2nd edit. 

 Dover Publications, New York. XXVII, 312 pp., 105 figs., 14 

 tabs., author, subject, and taxonomic indexes. $ 3.50 (paper) 



This is an unchanged reprinting of a book first published in 

 1932, which is still a classic in its field. The author has 

 provided a new 8-page introduction, and has added as an appen- 

 dix the well-known and thoughtful 36-page article by Reeve and 

 Huxley entitled "Some Problems in the Study of Allometric 

 Growth" and first published in 19^5. 



The book is printed with great care. The indexes are the 

 original ones and do not refer to the appendix. 



5. 



R.THOM. 1972. STABILITE STRUCTURELLE ET MORPHOGENESE , essai 



d'une theorie generale des modeles 



Benjamin, Reading, Mass. Mathematical Physics Monograph Series. 



385 pp., 128 figs., 28 pis., subject index. $ 22.00, £ 9-35 



Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Formes et stabilite structu- 

 relle; 3. La stabilite structurelle en mathematique; 4. Cine- 

 matique des formes. Catastrophes; 5. Les catastrophes elemen- 

 taires sur l'espace R4 associees a des conflits de regime; 

 6. Morphologie generale; 7. Dynamique des formes; 8. Biologie 

 et topologie; 9. Modeles locaux en embryologie; 10. Modeles 

 globaux pour un etre vivant (Metazoaire) ; 11. Modeles en ul- 

 trastructure; 12. Les grands problemes de la biologie; 13. 

 Des catastrophes aux archetypes: pensee et langage 



A critical review of this remarkable book could only be writ- 

 ten by a mathematician of equal distinction as the author, who 

 would also have to know a lot about biology. It is clear, there- 

 fore, that we can do no more than highlight some of its major 

 features . 



The author is a distinguished mathematician whose main in- 

 terest is in problems of form (or geometry) as they are encoun- 

 tered in biology, linguistics, psychology, etc. He is a con- 

 firmed anti-reductionist and a proponent of qualitative versus 

 quantitative thinking, and for this reason alone is bound to 

 meet with opposition from many contemporary scientists. He 

 points out, however, that rigorous qualitative thinking has 

 been made possible by the recent progress in differential cal- 

 culus and topology. The type of dynamic model he proposes in 

 the book has its phase space defined by means of the values of 

 "observable" ("macroscopic") parameters, without reference to 

 the infinitely complex underlying structures. Once we accept 

 the validity of this approach the results are surprising and 

 illuminating. 



In his foreword the author states that the book provides a 

 mathematical substructure for d'Arcy Thompson's "On Growth and 

 Form". He adds that Waddington's notions of "epigenetic land- 

 scape" and "chreod" have been essential germinal points for 

 this theory. Other inspiring authors were von Uexkull and Gold- 

 stein. In his English preface to the book Waddington gives the 

 following characteristic: 



Thorn has tried to show, in detail and with precision, just 

 how the global regularities with which biology deals can be 

 envisaged as structures within a many-dimensioned space. He 



has not only shown how such ideas as chreods, the epigenetic 



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