A Half-Century of Hormones

It is argued that this behavioral endocrinology text (see record 1994-98875-000) faces some formidable challenges. The classics of the field are all there, such as hormonal regulation of the rat estrous cycle and the organizational theory of hormone action. So too are important developments or discoveries such as environmental sex determination in reptiles, masculinizing actions of estrogens on brain and behavior, and field behavioral endocrinology, such as Bertold's 1849 experiment showing that the testes are necessary for roosters to act like roosters, and also to late-breaking news, such as molecular mechanisms of circadian rhythms. The reviewer contends that Nelson's excellent book is the first choice, the one for which many have been waiting. Although aimed at undergraduates, it could also be read profitably and with enjoyment by graduate students or anyone who wants to know what this exciting field is all about and why it continues to be so appealing to so many. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)