Fundamentals of Human Reproduction

This is a book which one could well recommend for those contemplating nursing as a vocation. It is written in a non-technical style which is easy to read but which is not embellished with flourishes of popular appeal. There are numerous clear illustrations. The author progresses from the development of a typical cell to the vertebrates; she discusses genetics, the determination of sex, and the factors determining the number of offspring in such a way that the "background" section ends with the Dionne quintuplets. Next she describes the sex organs and their function, the development of the blastocyst, and surveys embryonic and fetal development through the months of intra-uterine life. The third division is concerned with development and brief hints at the functions in life of the brain and spinal cord, of all the important body and sense organs, and of glands of internal secretion. The above mass of material is covered in a mere 215 pages. There are no references throughout the chapters; some 18 texts are evaluated in the final bibliography, and motion pictures which would supplement the material in the book are listed. -EVELYN B. MAN