Theory of Dielectric Optical Waveguides,by Dietrich Marcuse. 275 pages,diagrams, illustrations, 612× 912in. New York,Academic Press Inc., 1974. Price, $21.00.

A thin shell model of the uterus is proposed and a kinematic solution of uterine deformation during labor derived. In vivo multi-point strain measurements performed during the various stages of labor up to delivery form boundary conditions for the numerical solution, which yields curvature and local obliqueness variations of the uterus during a contraction. The results are discussed in the light of their clinical applications.