The Integrative Action of the Nervous System

In this book Professor Holmes discusses some of the evidence relating to one of the most baffling problems yet recognized by biologists-the factors involved in the regulation of growth and form. A wide range of possible influences, from enzymes to cellular competition, is considered. Numerous experiments and theories are described, with or without bibliographic citation. There is a list of references for each chapter and an index. The subject from a scientific standpoint is an exceedingly difficult one, for the reason that very little indeed is understood regarding such phenomena as differentiation. It follows that the problem offers fine opportunities for intellectual jousting by mechanists and vitalists, that hypotheses and theories must often be the weapons of choice, and philosophy the armor. Professor Holmes gives us a good seat from which to watch the combats, explains clearly what is going on, and occasionally slips away to enter the lists himself. This stereoscopic atlas of anatomy was designed as an aid in teaching neuro-anatomy for beginning medical students and as a review for physicians taking Board examinations in Psychiatry and Neurology. Each plate consists of a pair of stereoscopic photographs and a labelled diagram of the important parts seen in the photograph. Perhaps in this day of scarcity of materials, particularly of human brains hardened for dissection, photographs of this kind conceivably can be used as a substitute. Successive stages of dissection are presented in such a fashion that, used in conjunction with the dissecting manual, a student should be able to identify most of the important components of the nervous system without much outside help. The area covered is limited to the gross features of the brain and brain stem and perhaps necessarily does not deal with any of the microscopic structure. So much more can be learned from the dissection of the actual brain that it is doubtful if this atlas would be useful except where brains are not available. A good deal of effort has been spent on the preparation of this atlas, with moderately successful results.