15 DEVELOPMENTAL GENETICS 



1966 

 by F. J. Gottlieb Reinhold Publishing Corp. 



"Selected Topics in Modern Biology" New York 



Series Chapman 6 Hall Ltd. 



127 pp., 47 figs., 5 tbs. London 



(paper-bound) 



This is the second booklet in this series which concerns itself with devel- 

 opment. The first was Spratt's "Introduction to Cell Differentiation" (1964) 

 (reviewed in Supplement to the eleventh issue of this periodical, 1966). The 

 books are written for beginning students, and the treatment is elementary and 

 concise. 



After a brief introduction, three chapters lay the foundation for the under- 

 standing of developmental genetics. They deal in outline wih descriptive and 

 experimental embryology (both in animals and plants), with the fundamentals 

 of classical genetics, and with the chemical nature of the gene. Together these 

 chapters occupy more than half of the book. Developmental genetics as such 

 is discussed in two chapters, one of 19 pages on gene action (including sections 

 on modifying genes, control genes, and feedback control), and one of 18 pages 

 on differentiation and organization (with sections on intracellular and inter- 

 cellular differentiation, differential gene function, competence, and mosaicism). 

 The treatment of nuclear transplantation experiments in amphibians and of 

 chromosome puffing in insects is so brief that their great significance is in- 

 sufficiently brought out. No mention is made of hybridization experiments and 

 hybrid merogones. 



The book is illustrated with good drawings and schemes, and a few photo- 

 micrographs. It is concluded by a brief list of selected readings, and an alpha- 

 betical index. The book contains a number of printing errors, particularly in 

 the figure legends. 



16 PRECIS DE BIOLOGIE GENERALE 



1966 

 by P. -P. Grasse, P. Laviolette, Masson et Cie 



A. Hollande. V. Nigon and Et. Wolff Paris 



1008 pp., 598 figs., 2 pis., 13 tbs. 



This student's textbook is a complement to the well-known "Precis de 

 biologie animale" by Aron and Grasse, which forms part of the same series. 

 The reason why it is reviewed here is that it devotes much attention to fer- 

 tilization, morphogenesis, and causal embryology. Its aim is to give an exact 

 factual picture of some major areas of biology, without burdening the student 

 with too much theory. Literature references are restricted to important books. 



The book consists of the following parts: 1 ) La cellule: structure et phy- 

 siologic (by Hollande); 2) "Reproduction et sexualite" (by Laviolette. with 

 the collaboration of Grasse); 3) "L'heredite" (by Nigon); 4) "Embryologie 

 causale" (by Wolff); 5) "L'evolution: faits, experiences, theories" (by Grasse). 



Among other things, part two deals extensively with differentiation of the 

 gametes (including the germ line problem; 62 pp.), gamete pairing (24 pp.), 

 metazoan fertilization (both descriptive and experimental, by Grasse, 90 pp.), 

 and sex determination (46 pp.). Part three contains a chapter of 30 pages on 

 the role of genes in the functions of the organism (including morphogenesis, 

 gene interactions, phenocopies etc.). 



Part four ("Embryologie causale") occupies 280 pages and consists of eight 

 chapters, dealing successively with: aims and methods; primary determination 

 (including induction and organization, morphogenetic movements, etc.); reg- 

 ulation; morphogenetic fields and gradients; sexual differentiation; regeneration; 



278 



