Marshall's Physiology of Reproduction, vol.2. Reproduction in Male

J. Anat. (1991), 178, pp. 273-278 273 Printed in Great Britain Book Reviews Marshalrs Physiology of Reproduction, vol. 2. Reproduction in the Male. Edited by G. E. LAMMING. (Pp. 966, illustrated, £95.) Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. 1990. The previous edition of Marshalrs Physiology of Reproduction was published in 3 volumes between the years 1956 and 1966. The new (4th) edition is therefore very much to be welcomed and is planned to consist eventually of 6 volumes. Volume 2, Reproduction in the Male, is a considerable tome running to 966 pages and dealing primarily with the testis, spermatogenesis, spermatozoa and the accessory sexual organs. The opening review by Waites and Setchell covers the vascular physiology of the testis, endocrine control, metabolic biochemistry and nutritional factors which affect testicular function. This is an excellent chapter, full of comparative information. It is noteworthy, however, that little new knowledge is presented on testicular innervation; the topic is given just half a page of text and presents the anatomical diagram made by Langley and Anderson almost 100 years ago. In their treatment of endocrine mechanisms Waites and Setchell are thorough, to the extent that sections on the effects of social environment and stress (contributed by Dr Haynes) are also included. These sections provide a timely reminder, largely absent in this volume, that reproduction involves behaviour as well as fertility. The control of spermatogenesis is well reviewed in Chapters 2 and 3, which provide comparative data on birds and teleosts as well as mammals. The following chapter by Glover, D'Occhio and Millar covers life cycles and seasonality of male reproduction. This thorough contribution (175 pages) is strongest on the neuroendocrine control of seasonal changes in testicular function. Included are comparative sections on ruminants, periossadactyls, artiodactyls, carnivores and rodents - with some data on man and a rather incomplete treatment of the nonhuman primates. The central section of the book contains a review by Bedford and Hoskins on the mammalian spermatozoon. At 200 pages this chapter is almost a book in itself, but it is so well written as to provide fascination even for those who do not specialise in studies of sperm biology. The authors comprehensively review data on sperm structure, physiology, immunology and genetics while avoiding the tendency to provide catalogues of information rather than a synthesis of current knowledge. This review also points out the many remaining mysteries which surround mammalian spermatozoa and their fate within the female tract. The biochemistry of capacitation and the exact functions of the acrosome reaction are still not fully understood. We still do not know why mammalian spermatozoa are so diverse morphologically; presumably selective pressures have been at work, but it remains an open question as to why this has occurred. At the genetic level, sperm from one male may possess an advantage over those of a second individual even when equal numbers are mixed and artificially inseminated into a female recipient. This is the case, for instance, in experiments using rabbits, but the mechanisms involved remain obscure. Chapters 6 and 7 deal with the biochemistry and anatomy of the male accessory sexual glands. Brookes reviews the chemical content of accessory glandular secretions, androgen metabolism and the role played by other hormones and growth factors. Anatomy of the accessory sexual glands is reviewed by Hamilton. This chapter is disappointing from a comparative standpoint and also because it says so little about the innervation of the accessory organs. The neuroactive peptides such as VIP, the enkephalins, etc. receive just 9 lines in the text. The final two contributions to this volume concern artificial insemination in mammals (P. Watson) and fish (R. Billard). Watson provides a comprehensive review of techniques and problems associated with semen collection, storage and A.I. methodology in mammals. As well as commercially important species, this review deals with exotic species and contains useful information for those concerned with captive breeding and conservation. As would be expected in a prestigious text of this kind, the individual reviews are mostly of a very high standard. However, the overall structure leaves a great deal to be desired. A book of almost 1000 pages on male reproduction should contain information, for instance, on physiological mechanisms and masculine sexual behaviour, on the physiology of penile erection and ejaculation and on the evolution of reproduction in the male (e.g. sexual selection and mating systems; and 'sperm competition'). None of these topics is addressed in a meaningful way despite their obvious relevance and the enormous advances in knowledge which have occurred in 274 Book Reviews the last 25 years. Volume 3 of Marshalrs Physiology will deal with pregnancy and lactation; it is to be hoped that Volumes 4, 5 and 6 (contents as yet unknown) will in some way address omissions in earlier sections. At the present rate of progress (6 years between publication of Volumes 1 and 2) we shall be well into the next century before publication is complete. If these criticisms seem unfair the reader should perhaps consult the 2 volumes on the Physiology of Reproduction edited by Knobil and Neill (1988). By keeping reviews to a reasonable length and avoiding a multivolume work, these editors have succeeded in producing an excellent treatment of most aspects of reproductive physiology and behaviour at a competitive price. At £95 per volume, the complete set of Marshalrs Physiology of Reproduction may be affordable only by libraries or by wealthier scientists. ALAN DIXSON Advances in Neural Regeneration Research. Neurology and Neurobiology Series, vol. 60. Edited by FREDERICK J. SEIL. (Pp. 422; $85) New York: Wiley-Liss. 1990. This volume, representing the proceedings of a meeting on neural regeneration held in the U.S.A. in December 1989, joins a large family of similar books on this subject. The value of such published conference proceedings is very much a matter of individual taste. The inevitable lack of coherence (with over 70 contributing authors in this case) may be seen as a disadvantage. On the other hand the book does provide a 'snapshot' of a large, active field which, like all snapshots, will soon show its age but is none the worse for that. There is also at least some attempt to draw the multi-author chapters together, with short introductory essays at the beginning of each main section (growth and plasticity, growth promoters and inhibitors, glial reactions, molecular mechanisms and functional recovery). The quality of individual contributions is naturally somewhat uneven, but good on the whole. In deciding the areas to cover, the organisers have made a laudable attempt to cast the net wide. The obvious ones such as neuronal growth factors and astrocytic responses to injury are there, but so too are a number of studies involved primarily with embryonic development rather than regeneration. As J. Brockes points out in one of the introductory sections, the relationship between neural development and regeneration is an old issue, but one which is being revitalised. We therefore find useful accounts of developing systems, such as axon pathfinding in the early nervous system of the zebrafish, synaptic competition, cell-cell interactions that determine phenotype in the eye of Drosophila, and the vertebrate homeobox genes. There is also an interesting attempt to relate recent work on cellular stress responses to neuronal injury. Overall, despite the plethora of books of this kind on this subject, it rates highly, but will probably suit libraries more than personal collections. It may be particularly valuable for graduate students and postdoctoral workers, who will find not only a series of brief and helpful reviews covering a wide area, but also an excellent source of references. Given the pace of advances, particularly at a molecular level, I am sure that it will also have new things to say to those who count themselves experts in this area. ROGER KEYNES An Atlas of Forearm and Hand Cross-sectional Anatomy with Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Correlation. By R. A. MEALS and L. L. SEEGER. (Pp. 180; many illustrations in colour and black & white; £65 hardback.) London: Martin Dunitz. 1991. This is a detailed cross-sectional atlas of human upper-limb anatomy from fingertips to mid-biceps level, comprising 179 lifesize colour photographs of unpreserved cross-sections taken at 3 mm intervals. The anatomical structures are identified by annotated line drawings, and their appearances in CT and MR images are shown in accompanying correlative scans obtained from normal volunteers whose arms had been positioned in a fashion identical to that of the cadaver. The authors' purpose in preparing this atlas was to meet the growing need for detailed, undistorted yet direct mapping of anatomy in this complex and fascinating region. In their brief introduction the authors are at pains to describe the precise method employed in sectioning the cadaveric limb of a 59-year-old man of moderate build, and in the preparation of the colour photographs, all viewed from the inferior surface of the slice so as to correspond with the plane of view of the CT and MR images.