This book describes the biology, occurrence, and methods of control of the commonest congenital malformations of the nervous system: neural tube defects, spina bifida, encephalocoele, and anencephalus. It reviews the epidemiology of these conditions and discusses issues such as ascertainment, seasonal variation, ethical and legal issues.

List of contributors ; 1. An historical perspective ; 2. Classification, anatomy, and embryology ; 3. Ascertainment, registration, and assessment of exposure ; 4. Geographical variation ; 5. Ethnic origin and migration ; 6. Secular trends ; 7. Seasonal variation ; 8. Clustering in time and space ; 9. Distribution ; 10. Early fetal loss ; 11. Associations with multiple pregnancy ; 12. Maternal age and reproductive history ; 13. Maternal illness and drug use in pregnancy ; 14. Socio-economic status and occupation ; 15. Diet ; 16. Risks in siblings and other relatives ; 17. Genetic models ; 18. Antenatal screening and diagnosis ; 19. Ethical and legal issues ; 20. Conclusions

'if you are looking for a full, balanced and contemporary account of what is known about the epidemiology of NTD, you will probably find that this book comes closer than any other to meeting your needs' Ian Leck, International Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 22, No. 5, Oct '93 'The generous use of Figures and Tables helps the reader to grasp the tremendous amount of information presented. The work is beautifully produced and is a superb work of reference.' ick Smithells, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. September 1993 'Elwood, Little, and Elwood have produced an excellent and comprehensive account of the state of neural tube defect research up to 1991.' A.E. Czeizel, The Lancet, Vol 341, 1993 'by far the most detailed and comprehensive review we have ... if you are looking for a full, balanced and contemporary account of what is known about the epidemiology of NTD, you will probably find that this book comes closer than any other to meeting your needs' Ian Leck, International Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 22, No. 5, Oct '93 'This is a most useful reference book which should be available in all medical libraries and on the bookshelf of anybody working in the field of controlling and preventing neural tube defects in a population.' K.M. Laurence, University Hospital of Wales, Neuromuscular Disorders, Vol. 4, No. 2, 1994 `a remarkable accomplishment ... comprehensive review of the changing epidemiology of neural tube defects ... The book covers all major aspects of the epidemiology of neural tube defects ... includes extensive references for each topic ... The interpretations and conclusions at the end of each chapter are balanced and authoritative ... We highly recommend Epidemiology and Control of Neural Tube Defects to researchers, students, teachers, and practitioners of public health and medicine who are interested in the prevention of birth defects.' Muin J. Khoury, Joseph Mulinare, American Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 139, No. 9, May 1994