Product Description

The splendor and beauty of a child’s growth and development in the womb--seen through unforgettable images made possible by revolutionary advances in visualization technology

What’s happening with the baby now? All expectant parents ask this question throughout the exhilirating months of pregnancy. Fuzzy sonograms and doctor’s explanations can provide basic information, but through Alexander Tsiaras’ remarkable achievements in medical imaging technology, parents can see, for the first time, the awe-inspiring process of a new life unfolding, in stunning, vivid detail.

The milestones of pregnancy which before could only be described can now be witnessed: the heart’s first beats; the appearance of color in the eye; the emergence of toes and teeth; the brain and nervous system directing development; the first movement of tiny legs and arms; the first indications of gender; the wondrous symbiosis of mother and child; the symphony of the body’s systems coming into being and working in concert. The book tracks the development of a baby from the moment of conception, through the explosively complex early stages of development and the amazing stages of growth as the baby is nurtured by the mother, ending with the joy of birth.

All this is made possible by revolutions in two sciences. As biologists have decoded the molecular basis of life, computer scientists have developed non-invasive, three-dimensional techniques for visualizing the body. Alexander Tsiaras has been a pioneer in merging these explorations and discoveries. He has created a virtual camera studio that enables him to view a human body or any part of it individually, scan it, enlarge it, rotate it, adjust its transparency so that we can view inside a living being, and light it from any angle. The result is an ability to illuminate the unseen elements that make us who we are, and the miraculous images in From Conception to Birth.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #249777 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-29
• Released on: 2002-10-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

From Library Journal
Not a guidebook but a visual diary of fetal development via computer imaging.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Praise for Alexander Tsiaras and Anatomical Travelogue:

"A step into medicine's future."
-Chicago Tribune

"These images capture life and in their association with illness show it at its most mysterious and most vulnerable...A magical anatomy tour."
-The New York Times

"If there is to be an Audubon of the human form, Tsiaras can make rightful claim to the title."
-John Hockenberry, MSNBC

"A fascinating look at the inner workings of the human body."
-Newsweek

"This enormous cache of digital information is being transformed in a provocative new method of visualizing--and thereby understanding."
-ID Magazine

"[Tsiaras] reworks data to dazzling effects."
-Scientific American -- Review

Review
Praise for Alexander Tsiaras and Anatomical Travelogue:

"A step into medicine's future."
-Chicago Tribune

"These images capture life and in their association with illness show it at its most mysterious and most vulnerable...A magical anatomy tour."
-The New York Times

"If there is to be an Audubon of the human form, Tsiaras can make rightful claim to the title."
-John Hockenberry, MSNBC

"A fascinating look at the inner workings of the human body."
-Newsweek

"This enormous cache of digital information is being transformed in a provocative new method of visualizing--and thereby understanding."
-ID Magazine

"[Tsiaras] reworks data to dazzling effects."
-Scientific American

Customer Reviews

view of a layman [person]
Yesterday I was browsing in Barnes & Noble and picked up this book. I'm into literature and not big on science but the cover was intriguing so I opened it. Thirty minutes later (of being entranced) I finally closed it, and went home to go online to buy it at a cheaper price on Amazon[.com] (sorry, B&N!) Then I read these customer reviews. I have to say, I take issue with some of the things they wrote. The book clearly stated the images are digital creations from actual physiological data, thus they are as real and accurate as a film photograph. And how could such images ever be considered "propaganda"? Only in this country with our backward "moral" obsessions could innocent scientific images of how we human beings develop from the moment of conception be accused of politics. It seems to me this book is pure science mixed with the miraculous beauty of our biological creation. It also strikes me that such a book with such images is long overdue, in view of our incredible leaps in technology.... Speaking of technological leaps, I'm certain the Neilsen book he cites was an important book for its time; but why would a "Ph.D. scientist" want to deny people such new, and exciting, and beautiful, technological images of the life miracle that is us? That's like wanting Hollywood to use special effects techniques from the 1960's to make a movie in 2002. And he accuses the authors of not being "experts in fetal development"; I had to laugh: obviously the authors are experts in fetal development, very much so, as a thirty-minute perusal like the one I did of the book will prove.) One more thing: I'm a layman's layman, and admittedly not big on science; but I remember - and I still have it - Carl Sagan's book COSMOS as fascinating, because it taught a layman moron like me about space and the cosmos. Well, this book teaches a layman moron like me, in a like manner, about how I grew in my mother's womb until my moment of birth. I'm not a "Ph.D. scientist", but I think this makes this book of particular value.

Amazing, revolutioinary images!
From Birth to Conception will satiate anyone with a visual mind as to the formation of a baby in the womb! As a medical student I can appreciate the detail and 3-dimensional insight into structural relationships within the body that cross-sectional analysis (used to make the images) affords. Tsiaras and his cast of anatomical illustrators make use of innumerable cross-sections, bringing about the most accurate depictions of the embryo. Combine that with the most advanced technologies in imaging and the outcomes are stunning. The book is great for anyone interested in embryonic development;a very understandable read as well.

Spectacular Photos!
I had the opportunity to look through the book and it is incredible! The pictures are the best and most clear I've ever seen. The detail left me in awe. Being six weeks pregnant myself, I decided I would love to have this book so I can look through and see how my baby is growing every day and/or week. They certainly did a great job with this book. Well done!