In 1910, the late Dr. F. H. A. Marshall published the first edition of his Physiology of Reproduction. It represented the first attempt to assemble in the English language the knowledge that was available about the subject of reproduction. A second edition appeared in 1922, but unfortunately missed the very rapid expansion of the subject, especially on the endocrinological side, which took place during the 1920's. A third edition of Marshall's classic, of which one volume has now been published under the editorship of Parkes, again brings the subject up to date, and in the same encyclopaedic form first attempted by Marshall himself.The volume that has appeared (Vol. II) corresponds to the second half of the single volumes of the first and second editions (1). Its chapters deal with the history of the fertilized ovum, cleavage and implantation, placentation, foetal and maternal physiology, parturition, lactation and fertility, and show up, very clearly, the areas in which most progress in knowledge has been made in the past 30 years.Since 1922, we have been provided with detailed knowledge about the chemistry and cytological nature of the ova of different species. Develop ments in microscopy and in methods of tissue culture have made possible the direct study of cleavage in many mammalian species. Another achieve ment of the past 30 years is an understanding of the transport of sperm and ova, and of the factors concerned in the spacing of blastocysts, matters which, in the second edition of Marshall's book, could be dealt with in very few words, in spite of the fact that artificial insemination of farm animals was already being practised. On the other hand, the precise roles of blasto cyst and endometrium in the process of implantation are as uncertain to day as they were 30 years ago, even though the actual facts of implantation may be very much better understood, not only in nonprimate mammals but also in monkeys and man. We owe this advance mainly to the fact that it has become possible to obtain for study material that can be timed in rela tion to the ovarian and uterine cycles.The 1910 chapter on "Foetal Nutrition and the Physiology of the Pla centa" was reprinted almost unchanged in 1922, Marshall noting at the time that little new on this subject had appeared in the preceding decade. Infor mation about the macro-and microscopic structure of the placenta is now 1 The survey of the literature pertaining to this review was completed in June, 1952. I The following abbreviations are used in this chapter: DCA (desoxycorticosterone acetate); PAS (periodic acid-Schiff); LH (luteinizing hormone); CG (chorionic gonadotrophia); FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) : PMS (pregnant mare serum): ACTn (adrenocorticotrophin).429 Annu. Rev. Physiol. 1953.15:429-456. Downloaded from www.annualreviews.org Access provided by University of California -San Francisco UCSF on 02/08/15. For personal use only. Quick links to online content Further ANNUAL REVIEWS