Embryonic induction

Abstract

"Spemann's" lecture treats experiments on the separation of the first two cells of a frog, or sea urchin, or salamander embryo; the induction of a lens in a frog embryo by an optic vesicle (primordium of the eye); and the primary organizer that is a dynamic center, establishing the basic organization of the embryo and inducing the nervous system and sense organs. "Spemann" goes beyond science in speaking poetically of the beauty and order in the universe, and to illustrate how a good scholar should work he uses a lovely metaphor of piecing together the fragments of a broken vase. "Spemann" concludes with a stirring plea for academic freedom. © 1987 by the American Society of Zoologists.