The Anatomy Of The Human Embryo

The present anatomical atlas concentrates on the early weeks of prenatal development of the human embryo. It comprises more than 800 scanning electron-microscopic pictures of specimens of exclusively human embryos. The three-dimensional appearing illustrations show the development of the external form of the face, neck, trunk and limbs. Besides, the brain and the viscera of the head, neck, thorax, abdomen and pelvis all dissected into layers are represented in their position and spatial form. The juxtaposition of pictures of temporally close developmental stages reveals the changes in the form of the organs. Photographs of the same organic system are usually shown at the same magnification and clearly demonstrate the growth process. Simple outline drawings provided with the principal nomenclature facilitate the orientation within the specimens. A brief introduction to each chapter explains the most significant developmental steps depicted. This atlas is of great interest not only to anatomists, embryologists, histologists and developmental biologists, but also to biologists, biochemists and geneticists. Moreover, it serves as a valuable reference book for clinicians such as gynecologists, obstetricians, pediatric surgeons and pediatric cardiologists.

The present anatomical atlas concentrates on the early weeks of prenatal development of the human embryo. It comprises more than 800 scanning electron-microscopic pictures of specimens of exclusively human embryos. The three-dimensional appearing illustrations show the development of the external form of the face, neck, trunk and limbs. Besides, the brain and the viscera of the head, neck, thorax, abdomen and pelvis - all dissected into layers - are represented in their position and spatial form. The juxtaposition of pictures of temporally close developmental stages reveals the changes in the form of the organs. Photographs of the same organic system are usually shown at the same magnification and clearly demonstrate the growth process. Simple outline drawings provided with the principal nomenclature facilitate the orientation within the specimens. A brief introduction to each chapter explains the most significant developmental steps depicted. This atlas is of great interest not only to anatomists, embryologists, histologists and developmental biologists, but also to biologists, biochemists and geneticists. Moreover, it serves as a valuable reference book for clinicians such as gynecologists, obstetricians, pediatric surgeons and pediatric cardiologists.

This book presents an anatomical overview of the changing form and structure of the human body. Although biomechanical embryology can be traced back to the 19th century, up until recently the most commonly accepted framework for the study of human ontogeny (development of the individual) was molecular biology, which all too frequently relied on findings from animal experiments that remained untested for humans. German embryologist and anatomist Erich Blechschmidt's research concentrates on the evidence presented by the human embryo itself. He offers a new approach to the study of early human growth as a way to shed light on the development of body build, instincts, gestures, language, mathematics, tools, and dress.

The Fundamentals of Human Embryology covers embryonic development, with a unique focus on adult anatomy. Its goal is to impart to students a comprehensive overview of how the human embryo forms, not only as a basis for the student of human anatomy, but also as a link to abnormalities they may encounter in their clinical careers. Extensively illustrated with labeled line drawings, now enlarged for better visibility, this concise manual will meet the needs of both undergraduate and postgraduate students in the human sciences. Special features include separate chapters on the neural crest, the skull, and osteogenesis; and in-depth coverage of head and neck embryology, including the development of the tooth, for students of dentistry, and speech and audiology. This second edition contains larger diagrams, revised text that complies with the Federative International Committee on Anatomical Terminology's changes to the Terminologia Embryologica, altered sequencing of some topics to allow the development to flow more logically, and included an appendix of color photographs of congenital abnormalities to help students form a more realistic idea of developmental abnormalities.

Fifty years ago the field of human embryology was incomplete; prior to that time the anatomy of early human embryos was still unknown, and there was much to be learned about the older stages of human embryonic development. It is now understood that human organs result from step-by-step differentiations of the growing human embryo. Research by renowned embryologist Erich Blechschmidt, MD, showed that differentiations are not only the result of a gene effect, but are also brought about through growth initiated by extragenetic (occurring outside the gene) information. Without this extragenetic information the differentiation would not begin. Dr. Blechschmidt and coauthor Raymond Gasser, PhD, maintain that Haeckel's biogenetic law (ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny) was an erroneous attempt to explain developmental processes. Blechschmidt's human embryological investigations showed that Darwin's principles (mutation and selection) are likely valid for the origin of the species, but that they cannot explain the ontogenesis of the organs. The ontogenesis of each individual cannot be derived from phylogenetic facts. The authors stress that a clear distinction must be made between the vast field of phylogenetics and the much more exact and understandable field of ontogenetics—particularly the process of differentiation—and their goal is to present not only the abstract biokinetic principles of differentiation, but the originality of embryonic human beings as well. Their knowledge of developmental movements leads to their conclusion that differentiation is an undivided biodynamic process that occurs during development and includes the chemical processes as well. Logically organized into two sections (the first covers early metabolic fields and includes chapters on the one-cell human ovum, the early embryo, blood vessels, the nervous system, head region, trunk, and limbs; the second describes metabolic fields in later developmental stages, distinguishing fields of corrosion, densation, contusion, distusion, retention, dilation, liquation, and detraction), Biokinetics and Biodynamics of Human Differentiation warrants reading by thoughtful professionals in a number of fields concerned with embryonic differentiation. A new preface by Dr. Gasser addresses how the book's principles and findings were and are understood in the field of human embryology.