1. Development and Division of the Somite.- 1.1. Migration of Pre-somitic Mesoderm.- 1.2. Segmentation of the Mesoderm into Somites.- 1.3. Subdivision of the Somites.- 1.3.1. Sclerotome, Dermatome, Myotome.- 1.3.2. Resegmentation of the Sclerotome.- 1.4. Spinal Ganglia.- 2. Self Differentiation or Induction.- 2.1. 19251940: Grafts to the Avian Chorioallantoic Membrane.- 2.2. 1940s1950s: In vivo Transplantation and Extirpation.- 2.2.1. Amphibia.- 2.2.2. Pisces.- 2.2.3. Aves.- 2.3. 1950s Onwards: In vitro Chondrogenesis.- 3. The Inductive Tissues.- 3.1. Integrity of the Inducer and Vertebral Morphogenesis.- 3.2. When Do the Inducers Lose Their Inductive Ability?.- 3.3. Ability of Dermomyotome to Chondrify.- 3.4. The Search for a Pure Inducer.- 4. Ectopic Inducers.- 4.1. Can Ectoderm Act Inductively on Somites?.- 4.2. Other Ectopic (heterologous) Inducers.- 5. Synthesis of Glycosaminoglycans and Onset of Cartilage Differentiation.- 6. Production of Extracellular Matrix by Notochord and by Spinal Cord.- 6.1. Glycosaminoglycans.- 6.2. Collagen.- 7. Function of Extracellular Matrix Produced by Notochord and Spinal Cord.- 8. Discussion and Conclusions.- 9. Summary.- References.- Author Index.Springer Book Archives