Book - The Elements of Embryology - Volume 1

Historic Textbook - The Elements of Embryology

Foster, M., Balfour, F. M., Sedgwick, A., & Heape, W. (1883). The Elements of Embryology. (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan and Co.

Preface to the Second Edition

Sir Michael Foster (1836 – 1907)

WHEN this little work first appeared, it was put forward as a Part I, to be followed by other Parts. That plan was however soon abandoned. Nevertheless the volume seemed to have a place of its own ; and my dear lost friend undertook to prepare a second edition, intending to add some account of the development of the Mammal with a view of making the work an elementary introduction to vertebrate embryology more particularly suited for medical students. He was occupied with the task at the time of his sad death; and indeed a melancholy interest is attached to some of the sheets, by the fact that he had taken them to Switzerland with him, on that fatal journey.

All the first part up to p. 160 he had passed for press ; and he had further revised up to about p. 202. The whole of the rest of the volume has been undertaken by Mr Adam Sedgwick and Mr Walter Heape. They have attempted to carry out as far as possible what we believe to have been Balfour's views, and trust that the public will judge leniently of their efforts to perform a difficult task. I have myself been able to do no more than offer general advice from time to time; and though it has not been thought advisable to change the title, the merits as well as the responsibilities of the latter part of the work must rest with them.

M. FOSTER.

TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, March, 1883.

Online Editor Comments

If like me you are interested in development, then these historic embryology textbooks are fascinating in the detail and interpretation of embryology at that given point in time. As with all historic texts, terminology and developmental descriptions may differ from our current understanding. There may also be errors in transcription or interpretation from the original text. Currently only the text and early chicken images have been made available online, later figures will be added at a later date. My thanks to the Internet Archive for making the original scanned book available. --Mark Hill 12:14, 8 January 2011 (EST)

Volume 1 - The History of the Chick

1. The structure of the hen's egg, and the changes which take place up to the beginning of incubation
2. A brief summary of the whole history of incubation
3. The changes which take place during the first day of incubation
4. The changes which take place during the first half of the second day
5. The changes which take place during the second half of the second day
6. The changes which take place during the third day
7. The changes which take place during the fourth day
8. The changes which take place on the fifth day
9. From the sixth day to the end of incubation
10. Appendix
11. Figures as Gallery

Volume 2 - The History of the Mammalian Embryo

Francis Balfour (1851 - 1882)

1. General Development of the Embryo
2. Embryonic Membranes and Yolk-Sac
3. Organs from Epiblast
4. Organs from Mesoblast
5. Alimentary Canal
6. Appendix
7. Figures as Gallery

Links: Embryology History

Historic Disclaimer - information about historic embryology pages

Pages where the terms "Historic Textbook" and "Historic Embryology" appear on this site, indicate that the content and scientific understanding are specific to the time of publication. This means that while some scientific descriptions are still accurate, the interpretation of developmental mechanisms reflect the understanding at the time of original publication and those of the preceding periods, these interpretations may not reflect our current scientific understanding. (More? Embryology History)

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Cite this page:

Hill, M.A. (2013) Book - The Elements of Embryology - Volume 1. Retrieved June 19, 2013, from http://php.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php?title=Book_-_The_Elements_of_Embryology_-_Volume_1

Dr Mark Hill 2013, UNSW Embryology ISBN: 978 0 7334 2609 4 - UNSW CRICOS Provider Code No. 00098G