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BOOK REVIEWS Principles ofNeuralDevelopment. By Dale Purves andJeff W. Lichtman. Sunderland , Mass.: Sinauer Associates, Inc., 1985. Pp. 375. $32.50. Neurobiology has evolved as a distinct discipline over the last 25 years because of a realization that a broad interdisciplinary approach is necessary to understand the nervous system. While modern neurobiology departments typically include psychologists, biochemists, anatomists, and physiologists, all too often their interaction is limited to attendance at the weeklyjournal club meeting. The richest experiments, however, have resulted when the several separate methods of these specialists are synthesized. For example, in invertebrate organisms, certain groups of neurons, uniquely recognizable in all individuals of a species by their microscopic appearance (and hence called "identified neurons"), have been shown to form simple synaptic circuits governing stereotyped behaviors. Specific biochemical and physiological changes in these synapses have been found to correlate with well-defined modifications in the behavior of the organism (in other words, with simple learning). The greater complexity of vertebrate nervous systems makes such a reductionist analysis more difficult—but also presents another question: How are these immensely precise and behaviorally appropriate connections formed during development? The study of neural development has flourished quite recently, though several very influential experiments date back to the turn of the century. Unlike molecular biology, there is as yet no "central dogma." The underlying molecular processes involved in neuron-neuron recognition have not been clearly defined, and the very words used by developmental neurobiologists reflect that fact: several key terms (such as "induction," "specificity," "plasticity," and "competition") do not correspond to physiological mechanisms but instead are derived from interpretations of specific data gathered under defined conditions. If this distinction is lost, attempts to generalize these concepts too broadly cause the words themselves to become awkward and imprecise—and make informed argument very difficult. It is into this fray that Purves and Lichtman cautiously venture. Their book provides a crucial framework for discussing problems in neural development, and the book is both carefully planned and very clearly written. There is an emphasis on discussion ofindividual experiments rather than on broad generalizations , reflecting the state of the art and the intellectual rigor of the authors. The first 14 chapters of the book are organized around major processes in neural development and are arranged in roughly the chronological sequence in Permission to reprint a book review printed in this section may be obtained only from the author. 302 I Book Reviews which these processes occur within the organism. Each chapter then comprises a summary and critical apprisal of work on model systems, both vertebrate and invertebrate. The last chapter represents a modest (and not overwhelmingly successful) attempt to distill some broader, more general concepts. An interesting feature of this book is the treatment of several special topics in "boxes" set aside from the main text. These boxes include discussions of relevant experimental techniques, biographical sketches of outstanding scientists, or even choice bits of scientific gossip. They form entertaining breaks from the main text. The book seems best suited as a text for an introductory graduate-level course, though it can be read and understood by anyone with a good biology background . There is no question that it represents essential reading to anyone with an interest in the development of the nervous system, including neurologists, neuroscientists of all types, and developmental biologists. However, because of its rather specialized topic, it cannot be said to have broad appeal to the general medical reader. Nonetheless, Principles ofNeural Development is a model of scholarship that, more than merely surveying its field, serves to define it. Christopher Walsh Neurology Service Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston The Woods Hole Cantata: Essays on Science and Society. Edited by Gerald Weissmann . New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1985. $8.95. Contrary to expectations, the "Woods Hole Cantata" is not a bit of avant-garde music for flute and swamp sounds. It is, rather, a fine selection of superlative essays about science and the human condition. It is small—paperback size—and softbound. There are 18 essays, each of which is approximately 2,500 words and therefore perfect for a bedtime read—that is, long enough to stimulate and edify and short enough not to delay sleep unduly. There...

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