Human Intersex

London: E. & S. Livingstone, 1962. THE extraordinar-y developmenit of research aInd increase in knowledge of sexual alnomalies and human genetics, in the last decade, has outdistaniced most clinicians leavinlg us sadly bewildered. The steady outpouring of papers has literally svamped us aIId if we are to gain any insight into this rapidly increasing field of medical understanding Nve are depenideint oni the specialist to analyse anid distil new knowledge and to present it in ready assimilable form. The appearance of Dr. J. B. Ashley's 1)ook fulfils this important need and it wvill be welcomed by anatomist, patlhologist, poediatrician, general physician, endocrinologist and gymecologist in turn. Here the author has successfully synthesised the work of many disciplines giving us a splendid monograph on intersex and its related problems. The book consists of 357 pages divided inito twenty-one chapters. The first five chaptels deal with sexual developmeint in its genetic, embryological andl physiological aspects. The following three chapters deal with the cytological aspects of nuclear sexing, leucocytes and the application of nuclear sexing to the study of tumours, particularly those of the chorioll, teratomas and tumours of the seminoma/disgerminoma type. Eight chapters are devoted to a full classification of intersex and the sexual anomalies of man and these are considered in great detail. This section wvill prove to be of inestimable value for the p.cdiatrician, endocriniologist anid gymecologist. There is an excellent chapter on anomalies of sex chromosome constitution and the book ends with a short chapter on treatment. An extensive bibliography and author index is an additional attractiom and, in themselves, add greatly to the value of the work. In all, this is an excellent book anid many will be grateful to Dr. Ashley for his industry in providing such an up-to-date and readable account of a dillicult subject. It is clear that the author has thoroughily mastered his subject and the book is likely to become a stanidard work of refereilce. It is thoroughly recommended. D. A. D. Al.