20 



In recent years the interrelations between embryology and genetics have 

 become increasingly evident as a result of new findings in both disciplines. 

 Consequently this new edition of a book first published in 1955 will be welcom- 

 ed by many embryologists. Although the book was primarily written for 

 students of genetics, for embryologists it constitutes a convenient means of 

 orientation in the extensive field of gene physiology. 



For this new edition the book has been fully revised and expanded. Its size 

 has increased by more than 200 pages, and its bibliography by more than 400 

 titles. Of particular interest to embryologists is the chapter entitled "Gene action 

 and development" (62 pages). In it the major aspects of the genetical approach 

 to development are clearly stated, although some of the most recent advances 

 are not included. 



Of the other 13 chapters of the book a number provide general information, 

 both morphological and biochemical, necessary for understanding gene action 

 (e.g. "Some aspects of cell structure and function", "Kinetics and dynamics of 

 metabolism", "Metabolic patterns", "Environmental modification of pheno- 

 type"). Other chapters treat more specifically genetic topics (e.g. "Mutation 

 and its effects", "Mutation and the agents of metabolic control", "Genetic 

 units of structure and function", "Gene interaction and balance", and a chapter 

 on cytoplasmic inheritance). 



The book is well-printed and well-illustrated. It contains a bibliography of 

 more than 1100 titles, and an alphabetical index. 



5. LES CHEMINS DE LA VIE 



by Et. Wolff Hermann 



illustr. by G. Masurovsky Paris 



238 pp. Price: 12 N.F. 

 (paper-bound) 



This is a collection of 14 essays by the well-known embryologist of the 

 College de France, Paris. Most of the essays are based on lectures held before 

 scientifically of philosophically interested audiences, or on articles published 

 in general scientific or philosophical periodicals. Consequently the essays have 

 a wider scope and are meant for a broader audience than is the case with 

 publications in specialised journals. At the same time they are written in more 

 personal language than is usual in strictly scientific publications. The essays 

 deal with a variety of biological topics of which the author is a specialist, such 

 as experimental embryology, experimental teratology, culture in vitro of 

 embryonic organs, but also with a number of methodological and philosophical 

 questions connected with present-day biology in its widest sense. Examples of 

 the latter category are the essays entitled "Experimental reasoning and its 

 applications in biology", "Possibilities and limitations of experimentation in 

 biology", "Monsters and finality". 



The book has a preface by Jean Rostand, to whom one of the essays is 

 devoted. Another essay is devoted to the life and work of the embryologist and 

 endocrinologist P. Ancel. 



