Animal Reproduction Science 63 (2000) 283–284
Book reviews
Comparative Testicular Biology in Animals
S.S. Guraya, 384 pp., 1999, US$ 95.00, ISBN 1-57808-066-5
For the researcher new to this field, and for those working on particular aspects of testicular physiology, both the breadth and sources of literature available in this area are very wide indeed. This makes any good quality text of well-referenced material in a readable format a welcome addition. Primarily a reference text, this book excels at its function. In particular, the cross-species comparative physiology sections were thoroughly researched, well written, and could be a very useful source of information for those studying effects of, for example, environmental influences on testicular function across a range of species. Also covered in detail are functional characteristics of testicular cell types, and interactions between the somatic and germ cells in the testes. The use of a number of black and white plates throughout help reinforce points made in the text. A useful function of this text is that not only does it give a flavour of the huge amount that is known about testicular physiology in many species, but it also directs the reader to the gaps in current knowledge. With a sensible combination of basic information plus enough detail to direct the reader to more in-depth source material, this book will be useful to both researchers and lecturers. The detail and referencing in this book are very comprehensive, though due to the large number of cited publications can detract from the flow of the text at times. However, it is well written and very readable in general, though there are a number of editorial errors and punctuation glitches throughout. Nonetheless, these rather minor faults do not really detract from what is an invaluable source of background material, for both the researcher in this field and the less well initiated.
M.T. Rae
Intregrated Land Use Systems Macaulay Land Use Research Inst Craigiebuckler Aberdeen Scotland AB15 8QH UK
Tel.:+44-1224-318-611.
E-mail address: m.rae@mluri.sari.ac.uk (M.T. Rae).
Accepted 5 July 2000
PII: S 0 3 7 8 - 4 3 2 0 ( 0 0 ) 0 0 1 8 3 - 4
