Reproductive Pasts, Reproductive Futures: Genetic Counseling and Its Effectiveness

and polypeptides in growth, differentiation, and recognition. The information presented consists of current research in areas of contemporary interest. References are adequate for further investigation by interested readers. However, only the readers who maintain a comprehensive knowledge of central nervous system proteins will appreciate the full value of the text. The book reveals the ubiquitous role of proteins, ranging from the egg-laying behavior in Aplysia to the organic basis of schizophrenia, and thus it is difficult to assimilate the information in any logical manner. This latter problem could have been avoided by including introductory remarks, discussion by the participants, and cross-referencing between the authors on various chapters in the book. Central nervous system proteins serve a wide range of functions, such as messengers, structural building blocks, and components of ion conduction. Each chapter reinforces these concepts in a well-written and thought-provoking manner. The illustrations are adequate, although a few charts are tedious. Despite the fact that many authors are included in the text, the majority of chapters are of uniformly high quality. Perhaps the editors are overly optimistic if they assume that Proteins in the Nervous System will attract a wide audience. Despite their claim that the text will interest researchers and clinicians, the text is best suited to a limited group of neuroscientists. There are selected topics which may interest readers from various disciplines. However, the text lacks a cohesive unity that may leave readers feeling as if they have just read a series of unrelated articles on nervous system proteins.