What is normal? And who is abnormal? We are all abnormal. But some of us are more so than others. This book is about - in the words of its author - the emergence and development of the human body. It recounts the processes that allow a single cell in a hidden corner of the uterus to transform into an embryo, a fetus, a child, and eventually an adult. It provides a preliminary and incomplete, yet clearly defined answer to the question: How do we become what we are? We usually take the basic shape of our body and its development for granted. However, upon closer inspection, many things become puzzling: How do limbs actually develop? Why do we have five fingers (and not four or six)? What determines our height? Our gender? Why do we age? It is said that the human ge.