Symposium reports 



44. 



M. BALLS and A. E. WILD, eds. 1975. THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF MAMMALS 

 Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, etc. The second symposium of the British Society for 

 Developmental Biology. VIII, 410 pp., 41 figs., 38 pis., 55 tabs., subject index. £ 18.00 



This symposium was held in Norwich, England in September 1974. Almost all the 

 leading investigators in the field of early mammalian development in Great Britain and 

 the U.S.A. have contributed to the volume. Later stages are less completely covered. The 

 excellent reviews and research reports reflect the enormous advances that have recently 

 been made in this field. 



Of the 23 papers, the first 18 are devoted to early development (including genetic 

 aspects, antigen expression, work on teratomas, genome imbalance, and sex reversal). The 

 remaining papers deal with inductive interactions, prenatal hemopoiesis and lympho- 

 poiesis, genetic athymia, and the role of cell death in abnormal development. 



The numerous light and electron micrographs are well reproduced and the subject 

 index is very detailed. 



45. 



K. ELLIOTT and M. O'CONNOR, eds. 1976. EMBRYOGENESIS IN MAMMALS 

 Elsevier — Excerpta Medica — North-Holland, Amsterdam, etc. Ciba Foundation Sympo- 

 sium 40 (new series). VIII, 308 pp., 94 figs., 23 tabs., subject index. $ 21.95, Dfl. 57.00 



This symposium a "must" for mammalian embryologists and teratologists and highly 

 recommended reading for all other developmental biologists. It admirably supplements 

 the earlier symposium reviewed under no. 44 above. There is some overlap in attendance 

 but the present symposium was more international. It was held in London in June 1975. 



The 13 contributions are medium-length research reports or reviews of recent work 

 and cover morphological, biochemical, genetic and immunological aspects of mainly 

 post-implantation development. Two papers deal with other than mammalian material 

 (cell migration in chick embryo and "transdifferentiation" of amphibian cells) but they 

 readily fit into the present context. 



As usual in the Ciba symposia the discussion material is particularly interesting because 

 of the unrestrained exchange of new ideas. Apart from the discussions following each 

 paper there are separate discussions on determination/differentiation, origin of germ cells, 

 culture systems, mutations, bilateral symmetry, germ layer terminology, and teratocar- 

 cinoma. 



The book is beautifully produced and has top-quality illustrations. 



46. 



E. S. E. HAFEZ, ed. 1975. THE MAMMALIAN FETUS, comparative biology and metho- 

 dology 

 Thomas, Springfield. XIV, 352 pp., 89 figs., 43 tabs., subject index. $ 29.75 



This symposium was held in December 1973 in Detroit, Mich. Most of the contribu- 

 tors were from North America. Some are veterans, but many others coming men in the 

 field. Of the 17 papers some are research reports and others brief to medium-length 

 reviews of recent work. Most papers are of particular interest to pediatricians, but at least 

 five could be of interest to mammalian embryologists. 



The papers are arranged in four sections as follows: Perinatal physiology (5 papers). 

 Nutrition and fetal growth and development (4), Methodology and interuterine diagnosis 

 (4), and Anomalies of fetal development (4). Of special interest to teratologists is a review 

 by Gruenwald on the role of cell death in abnormal development. 



The book is well produced and illustrated. 



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