Two research centers joined to study the development of numerous malformations of the vertebral column in 30 mutants of the laboratory mouse: the Department of Anatomy of the University of Zurich, that has long been a center of research in vertebral anatomy and pathology, and the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, the largest center of research in mouse genetics. This volume describes the normal and abnormal morphogenesis of vertebrae and summarizes the data presently available in order to give better insight into the developmental mechanics of the vertebral column.

With the advent of transgenic technology, which allows the identification of specific gene activities in developing mammalian organisms, the house mouse has once again taken a very important place in experimental research as one of the genetically best understood mammals. More than ever, molecular biologists are in need of a detailed, standardized description of the anatomy of the developing mouse embryo. In this classic compendium, now brought up to date and corrected, the author presents each stage of mouse development in photographs and micrographs using hybrids of two inbred strains as a standard. Organ systems are systematically reconstructed from fertilization until after birth. Molecular biologists tracing the effects of genetic manipulations, as well as students and researchers of developmental biology, will appreciate the renewed availability of this standard reference work for its unparalleled accuracy, its attention to anatomical detail, and the extent of its documentation.