Fetal and Neonatal Physiology

Forlagets beskrivelse: This two-volume book comprises an up-to-date reference text on fetal and neonatal physiology. It contains 190 chapters written by experts in each field which provide essential background information as well as contemporary viewpoints and research. The purpose of this second edition is to bring current information to readers and to enlarge the original scope with a more comprehensive approach. It is targeted to fellows, nurses, and other personnel training in fetal and neonatal medicine as well as to established investigators. Overall, the volumes accomplish their purpose. The topics are appropriately divided and indexed and nearly all of the chapters can be read at a single sitting. The illustrations are good, but their impact would have been improved by using more color. Chapters related to my specialty were well written and highly readable. These included placental development, developmental hematopoiesis, and developmental immunobiology. Disappointingly, immune relationships between the mother and baby during pregnancy, now a matter of considerable interest to fetal and neonatal physiologists, are not discussed. Nor were interactions between the immune, endocrine, and nervous systems highlighted. Although the book suffers from the previously mentioned problems and other minor deficiencies, it is nonetheless a notable achievement and is likely to be a standard volume on the shelves of novice and experienced physiologists.