Reprint of a book originally published in 1973.
From the 1973 preface:
"The public media often portray in vitro development of human embryos (that is, outside of the human body) as a technical achievement to be anticipated in the near future. Such a view is quite unwarranted, and very many difliculties must first be overcome before any mammal can be cultured through development [ed.: this holds true in 2018, with IVF treatments involving implantation of the fertilised egg after a few days of in vitro development to establish pregnancy] . Nevertheless progress in this field of endeavour is continuous, and this book describes recent advances and current status for the information and interest of basic scientists as well as clinical investigators.
Chapters are devoted to the technical procedures involved in sustaining, in particular, mid-term sheep, dog and human fetuses, the pre-term human fetus and the premature human infant. The nature of physiological and other investigations that can be made on these subjects is described in some detail. Account is given of research on rat, mouse and opossum post-implantation embryos and fetuses maintained in vitro, and of anatomical and physiological observations on marsupial pouch young, which show the adaptations needed by a ‘fetus’ to survive in an external environment. Special preparations such as the exteriorized fetus, placenta and feto-placental unit are described and discussed, and attention is given to work on organ and tissue culture, and the contributions that all these studies make towards solving the problems encountered with the isolated fetus. Some facts and reflections are also offered on the pros and cons of viviparity, on the kinds of observation that can be made with the fetus in vivo, and on the social, ethical and legal aspects, and future potentialities, of research on the human fetus. No doubt there are sins of omission as well as commission in the present text, but a conscientious attempt has been made to deal informatively and comprehensively with the challenge presented by the mammalian fetus in vitro."