The Science of Embryology
C. H. Waddington in The Principles of Embryology, 1956
As a matter of historical fact, the biological sciences at the two ends of the time-scale-those of physiology in the broad sense on the one hand, and of evolution on the other-have been more thoroughly developed than the two sciences of embryology and genetics which come between them. The volume of information available about physiological phenomena is immense; their relevance to medicine and animal husbandry has given them practical importance, and the relative ease with which they can be envisaged in physico-chemical terms has made them seem intellectually attractive. The study of evolution, which was until recently only slightly less voluminous, derived its impetus from the feeling that Darwin's work has provided the essential thread which was needed to link all aspects of biology together. Between these two huge masses of biological science, embryology and genetics are rather in the position of the neglected younger sisters in a fairy tale.
Embryo Formation in Other Groups of Vertebrates
C. H. Waddington in The Principles of Embryology, 1956
UNTIL fairly recently embryology has been in the main a comparative study. Its object has been conceived to be the derivation of a general scheme of development, of which the processes found in the different groups of animals could be regarded as modifications. In particular the diverse, but nevertheless obviously related, groups of vertebrates have provided fascinating material for study of the relations between different types of embryonic development. The wealth of available facts is indeed immense, and there are numerous textbooks devoted to it. Perhaps the best are Dalcq and Gerard's revision of Brachet's work and the recent book of Nelsen.
An overview of infertility
Ruth Chambers in Fertility Problems, 2018
The increased numbers of people presenting for help with infertility may have given a false impression that infertility is becoming common, when there has probably been little change in prevalence over recent years. Genital tract infection with Chlamydia trachomatis is a major risk factor for subsequent tubal infertility. The licensed fertility treatments are invasive and it is all too easy for couples longing for a baby to want to rush for the ultimate assisted conception technology than wait a little longer for spontaneous conception to occur or try simpler treatments first. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority was set up to regulate and license infertility treatment in accordance with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act in 1990, following the recommendations of the Warnock report in 1984. The legal requirement to consider the welfare of the prospective child applies to all licensed fertility treatments and all unlicensed treatments at licensed fertility centres, and is good practice for all fertility treatment.
The Final Corruption of Human Embryology
Published in The Linacre Quarterly, 2008
In 1993 I warned that human embryology was being rewritten according to political correctness. My prediction has come true. In 2005 a new textbook, Bioethics and the New Embryology, by Scott F. Gilbert, Anna L. Tyler, and Emily J. Zacklin, was published. It is a monument to political correctness and a testimony to the final corruption of human embryology.
The Place of Biotechnology in Modern Civilization: A Veblenian Analysis of Public Misgiving Toward Embryology in the United States
Published in Journal of Economic Issues, 2011
Embryonic stem cell research and cloning are among the most controversial and ethically-loaded scientific advances of the past few decades. This paper argues that, in the context of recent theoretical developments in anthropology and cognitive psychology, Thorstein Veblen's work on the place of science in modern societies can provide a theoretical framework to study public misgiving toward embryology in the United States. It is argued that combining insights regarding human cognitive predisposition toward ritualization offered by Veblen with evolutionary theory on hazard-precaution systems and religious cognition may shed some light on the "peculiarity" of the initial public responses to embryology. Ultimately, this paper contends that understanding that initial reactions to embryology may follow a cognitive path of least resistance signifies that assessing the legitimacy of embryology will necessitate a deliberate effort toward instrumental thinking that may go against human cognitive predispositions.
The Way They Do It: Embryology Teaching in US Medical Schools
Published in Medical Teacher, 1982
A survey of departments of anatomy in US medical schools shows that, of the 66 per cent responding, most (60 per cent) teach embryology integrated with other anatomical disciplines, although a large minority (35 per cent) teach an independent course, and a few (five per cent) teach an elective only. Time allotted to embryology teaching averages 23 hours, but this varies widely from a minimum of six to a maximum of 48 hours. The main content of most courses is development of the normal fetus. However, clinical aspects of embryology, particularly congenital malformations, are taught in all but one of the institutions responding.