In situ Hybridization: Application to Developmental Biology and Medicine (review)

Abstract

In situ Hybridization: Application to Developmental Biology and Medicine. Edited by N. Harris and D. G. Wilkinson. New York: Cambridge University Press, Society for Experimental Biology, Seminar Series 40. Pp. 288. $59.50. "Advances in our understanding of biological mechanisms have frequently been associated with the development of new techniques, and this is certainly true for the method of in situ hybridization. ... In essence, in situ hybridization combines histochemistry with molecular biology and enables the rapid analysis of RNA (or DNA) in tissues. This information is proving particularly important in the field of developmental biology, since a fundamental aspect of development is the spatial and temporal expression of genes. The application of in situ hybridization is leading to a revolution in our understanding of plant and animal development, in particular when the technique is combined with other approaches , for example genetics. In addition, the sensitivity and specificity of in situ hybridization has found application in the field of medicine, where it is giving new insights into the functioning of healthy tissue and the diagnosis and study of disease." In 14 chapters, the contributors present an overview of in situ hybridization techniques as they apply to animal, plant, insect, algal, and human development. The chapters include a protocol section and an extensive current reference to methodology. This collection of papers is a worthwhile investment for both graduate students and investigators and should be available to undergraduates interested in cell and developmental biology, who should appreciate the technology that drives the current revolution in these fields. E. D. Garber Department of Ecology and Evolution University of Chkago An Informal Hktory of W. B. Saunders Company. By John Dusseau. Philadelphia: Saunders, 1988. Pp. 269. It is my guess that those of you who have read the tide are tempted to read no further. But, please do! When I received this book, it was my guess that it would be read by present and former Saunders' employees, their admiring spouses, their offspring, and a few of John Dusseau's best friends. Period. But this should not be. On picking it up and getting involved, I found it a delightful, leisurely, old school history of not only a distinguished publishing company but, more important, a portrait of those who wrote their scholarly medical books. It is also about the intuitive art of making decisions about what should and should not be published, about how good editors interact with their authors, and about the richness of at least one publishing company's intellectual life. To put it succinctly, this is a splendid, often amusing, and informative book! There are chapters that readers who are not profoundly interested in Saunders may wish to skip, but the writing is elegant, and it offers word pictures of not only the publishing world but also of many of our distinguished physicianscholars -writers of the past 100 years. 156 Book Reviews ...