Fetal growth and development.

Abstract

Harding R, Bocking AD , editors. Fetal growth and development. 284 pages, figures, tables. Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press , 2001 . ISBN 0 521 64237 X hardback, ISBN 0 521 64543 3 paperback. Price GBP 19.95 (paperback), GBP 55.00 (hardback). It is impossible for the busy clinician to keep abreast of recent strides to increase our understanding of fetal physiology and endocrinology. In Fetal growth and development 17 distinguished scientists and clinicians from Australia, Canada, Norway, UK and USA give highly readable accounts of present knowledge, starting with development of the embryo, development of the placenta, growth and development, continuing with chapters on each of the body systems, including fluid balance and endocrine functions. It ends with sexual differentiation and development of reproductive organs, maternal adaptation to pregnancy, and finally the changes leading up to and initiating parturition. The text is easy to read, partly because it is not interrupted by literature parentheses. For those who want to probe the subject matter further, there is a short list of references for further reading appended to each chapter, some of which are reviews and textbook chapters by the authors themselves. Illustrations are of high quality, didactic but not too numerous. Torvid Kiserud from Bergen is responsible for the Scandinavian contribution. Together with Mark Hanson of Southampton, he has written about the fetal cardiovascular system, information to some extent derived from animal experiments. At the end of their chapter, they make cursory reference to experiments which show that even moderately reduced maternal dietary intake during pregnancy results in changes in fetal cardiovascular development and high blood pressure in the offspring. The book is intended as an introductory text for students of medicine, reproductive biology and human biology. As such, it will serve its purpose well. It will also be of value to gynecologists and pediatricians specializing in fetal-maternal medicine. I recommend it highly.