Unraveling the Mysteries of the Womb: Correlates of Prenatal Development

Reviews the book, Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, edited by Peter Gluckman and Mark Hanson (see record 2006-08350-000). In this book the editors tackle the difficult task of providing a definitive account of how and why subtle influences on the fetus and during early life can have profound consequences for adult health and diseases. With contributions from an impressive host of internationally recognized scholars in medicine, epidemiology, physiology, nutrition, pathology, anthropology, and the biosciences, this text is unique in its summarization of the basic and clinical advances in understanding the link between early development and the onset of many chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis. The editors state that this book could not have been written 10 years ago, as the field it covers--that is, the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD)--was in the embryonic stage of development and in itself highly controversial. This text is intended for a select audience, one with interest and expertise in all of the various scientific fields that are involved in the examination of the variables that influence human development, especially as it pertains to the onset of chronic diseases. Students, clinicians, and researchers will benefit from this up-to-date accounting of the current knowledge in DOHaD. Reading will prove difficult for those without advanced knowledge in physiology and biochemistry. This book is, foremost, a textbook useful for upper level or graduate coursework and as a reference tool for practitioners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)