Embryology at a Glance

Samuel Webster, Rhiannon de Wreede

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781118910801
• eBook ISBN: 9781118910788
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Gynecology, Obstetrics & Midwifery

Highly Commended in Obstetrics and gynaecology in the 2017 BMA Medical Book Awards

Embryology at a Glance is a highly illustrated and innovative introduction to key embryological concepts, with concise, memorable descriptions of major embryological developments. This new edition covers the basic principles of human development, from mitosis and meiosis, before exploring the primary formation of each body system, including the development of the musculoskeletal, circulatory, digestive, reproductive, and nervous systems during the foetal and neonatal periods. 

Key features include:

• New chapters on cell signalling genes, stem cells, and antenatal screening for common congenital and genetic defects
• Full colour photographs and illustrations
• Links to clinical practice highlighted throughout
• Timelines of each developmental stage
• MCQs and EMQs for revision and review
• A companion website at www.ataglanceseries.com/embryology featuring 15 brand new animations, and podcasts to help clearly explain the processes that occur during development. An additional instructor resource contains an image bank of all the figures from the book to aid teaching this fascinating area

Embryology at a Glance provides the perfect alternative to the overwhelming detail seen in conventional embryology texts. It provides just the right level of detail on embryology and congenital abnormalities for all medical students and health professionals to develop a thorough understanding of human development and its implications for clinical practice.

Part 1
Early development

Chapters

1 Embryology in medicine

2 Language of embryology

3 Introduction to development

4 Cell signalling genes

5 Embryonic and foetal periods

6 Mitosis

7 Meiosis

8 Spermatogenesis

9 Oogenesis

10 Fertilisation

11 From zygote to blastocyst

12 Implantation

13 Placenta

14 Gastrulation

15 Germ layers

16 Stem cells

17 Neurulation

18 Neural crest cells

19 Body cavities (embryonic)

20 Folding of the embryo

21 Segmentation

22 Somites

1
Embryology in medicine

What is embryology?

Animals begin life as a single cell. That cell must produce new cells and form increasingly complex structures in an organised and controlled manner to reliably and successfully build a new organism (Figures 1.1 and 1.2). As an adult human may be made up of around 100 trillion cells this must be an impressively well-choreographed compendium of processes.

Figure 1.1 The early embryo develops from a simple group of cells into complex shapes and structures in the early weeks

Figure 1.2 Development continues beyond embryology and the foetus continues to grow and mature

Embryology is the branch of biology that studies the early formation and development of these organisms. Embryology begins with fertilisation, and we have included the processes that lead to fertilisation in this text. The human embryonic period is completed by week 8, but we follow development of many systems through the foetal stages, birth and, in some cases, describe how changes continue to occur into infancy, adolescence and adult life (Figure 1.3).

Figure 1.3 Development of biological structures and systems continues through childhood, adolescence and into adulthood. Changes continue to occur throughout life

Aims and format

This book aims to be concise but readable. We have provided a page of text accompanied by a page of illustrations in each chapter. Be aware that the concise manner of the text means that the topic is not necessarily comprehensive. We aim to be clear in our descriptions and explanations but this book should prepare you to move on to more comprehensive and detailed texts and sources.

Why study embryology?

Our biological development is a fascinating subject deserving study for interest’s sake alone. An understanding of embryological development also helps us answer questions about our adult anatomy, why congenital abnormalities sometimes occur and gives us insights into where we come from. In medicine the importance of an understanding of normal development quickly becomes clear as a student begins to make the same links between embryology, anatomy, physiology and neonatal medicine.

The study of embryology has been documented as far back as the sixth century BC when the chicken egg was noted as a perfect way of studying development. Aristotle (384–322 BC) compared preformationism and epigenetic theories of development. Do animals begin in a preformed way, merely becoming larger, or do they form from something much simpler, developing the structures and systems of the adult in time? From studies of chickens’ eggs of different days of incubation and comparisons with the embryos of other animals Aristotle favoured epigenetic theory, noting similarities between the embryos of humans and other animals in very early stages. In a chicken’s egg, a beating heart can be observed with the naked eye before much else of the chicken has formed.

Aristotle’s views directed the field of embryology until the invention of the light microscope in the late 1500s. From then onwards embryology as a field of study was developed.

A common problem that students face when studying embryology is the apparent complexity of the topic. Cells change names, the vocabulary seems vast, shapes form, are named and renamed, and not only are there structures to be concerned with but also the changes to those structures with time. In anatomy, structures acquire new names as they move to a new place or pass another structure (e.g. the external iliac artery passes deep to the inguinal ligament and becomes the femoral artery). In embryology, cells acquire new names when they differentiate to become more specialised or group together in a new place; structures have new names when they move, change shape or new structures form around them. With time and study students discover these processes, just as they discover anatomical str...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• List of abbreviations
• Timeline
• About the companion website
• Part 1: Early development
• Part 2: Systems development
• Self-assessment MCQs
• Self-assessment MCQ answers
• Self-assessment EMQs
• Self-assessment EMQ answers
• Glossary of medical conditions and terms
• Index
• End User License Agreement