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James G. Wilson and F. Clarke Fraser, editors HANDBOOK OF TERATOLOGY Volume I: General Principles and Etiology, 1977, 476 pp., $39; Volume II; Mechanisms and Pathogenesis, 1977, 491 pp., $39; Volume III: Comparative, Maternal, and Epidemiological Aspects, 1977, 344 pp., $39; Volume IV: Research Procedures and Data Analysis, 468 pp., $39. New York: Plenum Publishing Company, 1977-1979.
Twenty years ago, it was commonly believed that the human embryo developed in an impregnable uterus, immune to any influences from the external environment. With the description of the thalidomide embryopathy in 1963, the fetal Minimata disease in 1965, diethylstilbestrol teratogenicity in 1971, and the fetal alcohol syndrome in 1973, this earlier belief has undergone a major change. In the current climate of concern over the safety' of the environment, the embryo is often portrayed as developing in a hostile environment, unprotected and at the mercy of all environmental influences. This new attitude presents a particular problem to physicians and health professionals who are called on to relieve anxieties caused by frequent media reports on the teratogenicity of common agents. The Handbook of Teratology, edited by J. G. Wilson and F. C. Fraser, will be a welcome addition to the library of those finding themselves in such a consultative position as well as those interested in nongenetic causes of birth defects.
The major feature distinguishing the Handbook from other texts on teratology is the scope of...