A History of Regeneration Research: Milestones in the Evolution of a Science

by Charles E. Dinsmore

Overview

In the eighteenth century, the phenomenon of animal regeneration captured the attention and imagination of the era's leading naturalists and intellectuals. Importantly, their research of the phenomenon spurred the transition from the descriptive science of natural history to modern experimental zoology. A History of Regeneration Research chronicles this crucial evolutionary period in the history of developmental biology, offering an insightful analysis of the milestones in regeneration research. The book is not only an account of leading researchers and their seminal discoveries in the field, but also brings together critical commentaries on the social context and philosphical commitments that shaded their interpretations. By strategically weaving content with context, the authors raise the discussion above the field of regeneration research; they explore the societal influences on the perception of Nature and shed light on the nature of the scientific enterprise itself and the way scientific discoveries are interpreted. Exploring new grounds, A History of Regeneration Research will be of great interest to historians of science as well as workers in developmental biology and medicine.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521047968
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	12/03/2007
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	244
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

Table of Contents

List of contributors; Preface; 1. Introduction Charles E. Dinsmore; 2. The natural history (and mystery) of regeneration Richard J. Goss; 3. New limbs for old: some highlights in the history of regeneration in Crustacea Dorothy M. Skinner and John S. Cook; 4. Abraham Trembley and the origins of research on regeneration in animals Howard M. Lenhoff and Sylvia G. Lenhoff; 5. Lazzaro Spallanzani: concepts of generation and regeneration Charles E. Dinsmore; 6. Observation versus philosophical commitment in eighteenth-century ideas of regeneration and generation Keith R. Benson; 7. The neurotrophic phenomenon: its history during limb regeneration in the newt Marcus Singer and Jacqueline Géraudie; 8. Regeneration: 1885–1901 Frederick B. Churchill; 9. T. H. Morgan's regeneration, epigenesis and (w)holism Jane Maienschein; 10. A history of bioelectricity in development and regeneration Joseph W. Vanable Jr; 11. Origin of the blastema cells in epimorphic regeneration of urodele appendages: a history of ideas Richard A. Liversage; 12. Morgan's ambivalence: a history of gradients and regeneration Lewis Wolpert; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...chronicles this crucial evolutionary stretch in the history of developmental biology and offers an insightful analysis of the milestones of regeneration research. The book not only discusses the leading researchers and their seminal discoveries in the field but also brings together critical commentaries on the social content and philosophical commitments that shaded their interpretation. Opening new ground, A History of Regeneration Research will be of great interest to scientists, as well as to historians of science." Biology Digest

"...a very illuminating book for all developmental biologists." Malcolm Maden, Cell

"Each chapter is highly readable but I would advise in reading only one chapter at a time. To rush through would destroy much of the book's enjoyment since it is very much about historical ideas that need time for contemplation." David Tannahill, British Society for Developmental Biology Newsletter

"...a valuable contribution on an area of biology that until relatively recently was absolutely central. The book not only serves to remind us of the effects of changing historical perspectives on how we define curent scientific problems, but also of the challenges, which we are in danger of forgetting, that the phenomena of regeneration still pose to modern-day biology." Tim Horder, Times Higher Education Supplement

"...remains the best among histories of regeneration research." Choice

"...should be part of the body of literature that is read by anyone interested in regeneration and the history of biology." David L. Stocum, BioScience

"This collection of eleven essays, primarily by biologists active in regeneration research, offers tantalizing glimpses into a realm hitherto poorly charted by historians of biology. Covering ideas and experiments on animal regeneration from the eighteenth century to the present, with a nod to earlier times, this book provides a good overview of the current state of the history of ideas about biological research." Lynn Nyhart, The J.H.B. Bookshelf

"...This is a neat little book. There is a lot more here than just a historical review of research on animal regeneration." The Quarterly Review of Biology

From the Publisher