Here is a brief and authoritative account of human physical growth, beautifully written by one of the world's foremost experts. In Fetus into Man Professor Tanner tells the story of growth in language that is both accessible to the nonbiologist and acceptable to the biologist. The book begins with the basics of growth: cell division, hormonal control and differential growth of body tissues. It then builds on these basics to provide a picture of individual growth--from the fetus in utero to the development of sex differences at puberty. Tanner pays special attention along the way to the psychological and social problems faced by children who mature either too soon or too late, and he concludes with a full description of the major growth disorders and current methods of treatment. Fetus into Man will be an important reference for parents, educators, students of development, and indeed anyone who must deal with the growing child.

Tracing the history of studies of the physical growth of children from the time of the Ancient Greeks onwards.

The first edition (C.U.P. 1976) included all known valid statistics on height, weight, skinfolds, and other body measurements. In addition to new studies, many subsequent measurements taken between 1976 and 1988 are included in this revision.