J. Anat. (1999) 197, pp.
331–332 Printed in the United Kingdom
Book Reviews
Dictionary of Human Neuroanatomy. By M C.
H. (Pp. viij163 ; paperback ; ISBN 3 540
66523 4.) Berlin : Springer. 1999.
This short dictionary is confined to the central nervous
system and its coverings. It arose out of the author’s
difficulty in finding ready access to definitions of anatomical
structures in current textbooks, both during his anatomical
studies and subsequently for the preparation of lectures.
The book gives a remarkably comprehensive list of
structures presented in American English with their Latin
and English Terminologica Anatomica (1988) equivalents.
These are accompanied by a succinct account of the nature
of the structure and a brief exposition of its function.
Occasional somewhat randomly chosen clinical terms are
included such as ‘ Flaccid paralysis ’ which are perhaps of
limited utility, especially as some, such as that on ‘ Scotoma ’,
read slightly curiously.
This book is a useful compilation which should be of value
both to more advanced students of neuroanatomy and to
teachers.
. . 
In Situ Hybridization Protocols, 2nd edn. Edited by
I A. D. (Pp. xvj343 ; illustrated ; $79.50
hardback ; ISBN 0 896 03686 3.) Totowa, NJ :
Humana. 1999.
This book illustrates how the techniques of in situ
hybridisation have changed from being technically difficult
to carry out successfully into ones that can be regarded as
almost routine methods. Now that the human genome has
almost been successfully fully sequenced we will move into
the era of functional genomics as it will be necessary to
determine the function of each gene. Using in situ
hybridisation, morphological scientists have an important
role to play as data are needed concerning the cell type and
the developmental stage at which specific genes are
expressed. Therefore this book, which not only presents
methodology but also the applicability of available
approaches, should be high on the list of departmental and
institutional libraries.
Over one-third of the book is related to locating genes on
individual chromosomes and this could possibly be a
separate publication as it is mainly of interest to cyo-
geneticists. The method reviews are based on fluorescence in
situ hybridisation (FISH) and radioisotope in situ hybridis-
ation to local DNA sequences on isolated chromosomes.
Although these are elegant, particularly the FISH method in
which several coloured fluorescent dyes can be used
simultaneously, they are usually of less interest to the
morphologist.
The section on tissue techniques is however very ap-
propriate. Chapter 9 outlines the use of nonradioactive
probes, the improved sensitivity and availability of which
has made in situ hybridisation much more convenient and
less time consuming. If oligonucleotide probes that are
already biotinylated are ordered from commercial suppliers
then the method can be used by those with virtually no
molecular biology background. Chapter 10 deals with
331
radioactively labelled gene probes as these are still more
sensitive, especially if the antisense cRNA is used. This is
particularly useful for quantitation as grain counting or
image analysis can be used. Chapter 12 deals with the
colocalisation of the mRNA and protein in tissue sections.
This is important as to obtain a more complete picture of
gene expression it is usually advisable to detect the gene
product as well as the message. Also it is often helpful to use
an antibody to label a given cell type at the same time as
locating a specific RNA within that cell.
Other chapters deal with the detection of viruses, which
was one of the earliest applications of in situ hybridisation,
and also the amplification of the hybridisation signal. In this
connection there is a description of the polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) method of amplifying the signal RNA or
DNA in tissue sections. This is useful when there is a very
low copy number such as in projects that involve for
example detecting viral DNA or RNA. The problem of false
positives which frequently occurs in the normal test tube
PCR method is discussed. False positives would be more
difficult to detect when tissue sections are being used as the
number of controls that can be incorporated are more
limited. Chapter 16 deals with the ultrastructural detection
of nucleic acids and Chapter 17 the localisation of gene
expression under the electron microscope. At the other end
of the magnification scale there is a chapter on the use of in
situ hybridisation on whole mounts. This is a method
beloved by molecular developmental biologists for studying
gene expression in embryos. The method allows the
penetration of relatively thick pieces of tissue and therefore
it is not always necessary to have this section. The last
chapter in the tissue application protocols deals with the use
of cRNA probes. These offer a more sensitive method of
detection when it is a specific mRNA that is being detected.
However generation and use is more difficult and does
require a reasonable level of molecular biology expertise.
Part 3 of the book includes 2 chapters on applications.
Two quite different examples of projects in which in situ
hybridisation is used to determine the success of clinical
treatment involving intracytoplasmic sperm injection and
for diagnostic purposes to localise HIV1 DNA and TNF
and RNA.
The second edition of this book should be available in
every major biomedical library as it represents the approach
that morphological scientists can use to determine gene
expression under different physiological and disease con-
ditions in mature and developing tissues.
 
The Anatomical Basis of Mouse Development. By
M H. K and J B. L.
B. (Pp. xiij291 ; fully illustrated ; $99.95 ;
ISBN 0 12 402060 7.) San Diego : Academic
Press. 1999.
Over the past 20 years developmental biology has undergone
dramatic changes. Mouse anatomy and mouse embryology,
which in earlier times had attracted the interest of only a
few specialists, became an essential prerequisite for the
interpretation of many experiments in molecular and
332 Book reviews
developmental biology. Although to me as a morphologist
it is deplorable how often the interpretation of knock-out
data is attempted without basic knowledge of mouse
embryology, this deficit is easily understandable. So far,
molecular and developmental biologists have lacked a
comprehensive reference to enable them to decipher which
tissue or organ system was altered when particular genes
were knocked out. Consequently, the compilation of mouse
embryological data in such a handy and concise volume was
urgently needed.
The magnificent book now presented by Matthew
Kaufman and Jonathan Bard may be taken as the
authoritative statement on mouse embryology, based on a
lifetime of study. The book is lucid and easily readable. The
numerous simple line drawings are remarkably consistent in
style and design and are thus easy to interpret for the
nonmorphologist. This is an important aspect, since the
book very likely will be used for reference mainly by
molecular biologists and geneticists, and thus by scientists
who will not read it because of any love for morphology, but
because they need the data. Users may complain that the
illustrations are restricted to very basic line drawings, but
this makes the book more readable and the facts easier to
understand. Those who really need relevant photographs,
are referred to the series of sections collected in Matthew
Kaufman’s Atlas of Mouse Development (same publisher).
This book is quite different from Kaufman’s Atlas which
described mouse embryology stage by stage with all organs
and systems depicted and marked simultaneously. Instead, it
categorises tissues and organs into systems and follows their
development. Introductory chapters on the early stages of
development are followed by a concise and very didactic
summary of the transitional tissues, comprising the neural
crest, the somites and the branchial arches, together with
their respective derivatives. The rushed nonmorphological
readers who use the book mainly as a handy reference may
not appreciate this chapter. Nevertheless, I advise them to
devote some quiet weekend hours on this particular part
since it will advance their understanding of many of the later
chapters. These comprise a chronological description of the
development of systems and regions such as the heart and
vascular system, limbs, urogenital system, gut and
associated tissues, mouth and nose region, brain and spinal
cord, eye and ear as well as the skull.
The book culminates in a valuable collection of indexes.
These consist of a detailed comparative list of mouse and rat
developmental stages, a list of tissues present at each stage
of development, an index of first occurrence of tissues, a
short glossary, and a well selected reference list.
There are two further features I like very much. Bottom
bars on every second page compare the embryonic days with
the Theiler staging. Moreover, 15 detailed lineage charts
depict the future fates of the various embryonic tissues as
well as the embryonic derivation of the full range of organ
components. But despite my glowing enthusiasm, I, as an
impassioned placentologist, do have one complaint. Mouse
placental development is reduced to little more than one
page, without a single illustration. This is deplorable since
impaired placental development is one of the earliest
detectable and most obvious features particularly in lethal
knock-out experiments—and usually no one is able to
analyse placental defects.
In conclusion, this fine book is essential for all molecular
biologists, geneticists and developmental biologists using
the mouse as a model, especially if they have little anatomical
background. It should also find a place on the bookshelves
of those embryologists and anatomists, such as myself who
are used to combat the unawareness of mouse development
by specialists performing highly sophisticated experiments
on mice.
 
Photographic Atlas of Practical Anatomy vol. II.
Neck, Head, Back, Chest, Upper Extremities, plus
companion volume including nomina anatomica
and index. By W. T. (Pp. 852 ; 410 figures ;
£191n50\$299\DM 498 hardback ; ISBN 3 540
62239. Berlin : Springer. 1999.
This is a photographic atlas showing dissections. It is in two
volumes. Volume I deals with the abdomen and lower limb.
Volume II (reviewed here) deals with the remainder, except
for intracranial structures.
The format is elaborate and somewhat unusual. Each
volume consists of two separate books. One has colour
illustrations. Its companion is effectively a facsimile of this
in black and white. The two are matched, page for page and
Figure for Figure. Thus, each dissection is illustrated by two
corresponding photographs, one in colour, the other in
black and white. The latter is labelled, the former is not.
Opposite each illustration is a page of text. The colour
picture is matched with a brief description of the area, the
black and white picture with a list of the structures
illustrated. Labelling is confined to the companion book. An
arrowhead on the feature is matched to a number in the
margin, which refers to the list on the opposite page.
Identification needs the use of both volumes, as follows.
A feature is first located in the coloured illustration, and
then in the corresponding black and white photograph.
Finally, the numbered feature is read off from the list on the
opposite page. Finding a particular named feature involves
essentially the reverse process. The complicated format has
the advantage that a great many features can be labelled.
Counterbalancing this is the cumbersome process of cross
reference and identification.
The value of this elaborate approach lies in one of the
principal aims of the book, namely, to present dissected
material, uncluttered by any labelling, lead lines, arrows or
lettering, with a lifelike appearance. It is seen as it might
appear during a surgical procedure. It is, of course,
impossible to achieve this objective fully. Nevertheless,
through the use of the novel preservation technique, the
coloured illustrations come closer than most to doing so in
terms of tissue appearance and texture. The dissections are
of uniformly excellent quality. Most are standard for an
atlas of this kind, and therefore are of value for purely
anatomical study. Some are intended to illustrate surgical
procedures, for example, the structures displayed during
exposure of the middle meningeal vessels. One unorthodox
feature is repeatedly emphasised, namely, the author’s
classification of the fascial layers underlying the skin.
The books are lavishly produced to a very high standard
indeed. The colour illustrations are superb. The black and
white figures are a little less impressive. Many have a
somewhat muddy appearance and lack contrast. This is
perhaps because they seem to have been printed from the
colour negatives. The advantage of this is of course their
precise correspondence with those in colour, which is central
to the identification process.
The cost puts this atlas firmly in the luxury class. It does
undoubtedly give value for money, if that kind of money is
available, in the context of today’s limited library budgets.
 