7 

 Communications from the Hubrecht Laboratory 



I S em i - c en t e n a r y of the Hubrecht Laboratory 



In 1966 the Laboratory celebrated its 50th anniversary. To commemorate 

 this fact, a two-day Embryological Conference was held at the Laboratory on 

 September 19 and 20, 1966. Its audience consisted mostly of Dutch scientists. 



In his opening address, Prof. Chr. P. Raven, Chairman of the Supervising 

 Committee, gave a retrospect of the history of the Laboratory. Prof. M. W. 

 Woerdeman (Amsterdam) reviewed some Dutch contributions to descriptive 

 and comparative embryology from the late sixteenth to the early twentieth 

 century. 



Selective topics of developmental biology, most of which were related to 

 research being carried out at the Hubrecht Laboratory, were discussed by six 

 distinguished speakers, viz. Profs. Et. C. Wolff (Nogent), J. K. F. Holtfreter 

 (Rochester, N.Y.), E. Hadorn (Zurich), J. T. Bonner (Princeton, N.J.), 

 F. E. Lehmann (Bern), and A. Monroy (Palermo). Profs. A. M. Dalcq (Brus- 

 scl), L. Gallien (Paris), and S. I. Toivonen (Helsinki) acted as Session 

 Chairmen. Opportunity was provided for discussions of the foreign guests 

 with the members of the scientific staff of the Laboratory. 



II The international team project 



The sixth international research team in embryology will meet from February 

 1st till July 31st, 1968. Its central topic will be: "Cell contacts and their role in 

 morphogenesis and cyto-differentiation". 



A circular pertaining to this team has been sent to all institutes active in the 

 field of developmental biology. Individual investigators may apply for a copy. 

 Preliminary applications of young post-graduates in the biological, medical or 

 veterinary sciences should be submitted as soon as possible. Definitive applica- 

 tions should reach the Hubrecht Laboratory before July 1st, 1967. 



III Foreign guests 



Two guests from South Africa, Dr. A. L. Smit from Durban and Dr. M. J. 

 Toerien from Stellenbosch, stayed at the Laboratory during the first half of 

 1966. They both learned techniques of experimental embryology as applied to 

 amphibian development; Dr. Smit further studied the potentialities of the outer 

 and inner layers of the neurectoderm in Xenopus laevis, while Dr. Toerien 

 extended his previous work on the formation of the nasal capsule to various 

 amphibian species. 



Dr. W. Achtelik from Zabrze, Poland stayed at the Laboratory from April 

 till September. He studied oogenesis in flatworms and molluscs with the aid of 

 the electron microscope. 



Dr. L. Hearson from East Lansing, Mich, arrived in May for a period of one 

 year, and Dr. J. E. Foret from Princeton, N.J. in September for a stay of two 

 years. They both study aspects of limb regeneration in the axolotl with various 

 techniques, including histochemistry, autoradiography, and tissue culture. 



Mr. B. R. Rao from Baroda, India stayed at the Laboratory for the fourth 

 year in succession. He will shortly finish his Ph.D. thesis on neural differentia- 

 tion tendencies in the neurectoderm of the early chick embryo, and hopes to 

 receive his degree from the University of Utrecht by the beginning of 1967. 



