Determinism, holism and complexity: three epistemological attitudes that have easily identifiable historical origins and developments. Galileo believed that it was necessary to "prune the impediments" to extract the mathematical essence of physical phenomena, to identify the math ematical structures representing the underlying laws. This Galilean method was the key element in the development of Physics, with its extraordinary successes. Nevertheless the method was later criticized because it led to a view of nature as essentially "simple and orderly," and thus by choosing not to investigate...

It is nearly a decade since the first Male Mediated Developmental Toxicity conference was held in Pittsburgh. The continuing public/scientific interest, growing amounts of animal data, introduction of innovative technologies, and increasing quantity of human epidemiological studies all suggest that male-mediated developmental toxicity is of major concern. A number of researchers concluded that a Second International Confer ence on Male Mediated Developmental Toxicity was necessary. The ensuing volume is particularly timely because it impacts on areas of special emphasis in many countries,...