9 Months That Made You

The development of the human fetus—from the moment of conception to birth—is the subject of this fascinating (and in some respects provocative) BBC/PBS three-part documentary, which employs the findings of biological research (presented with both film footage and animation) to describe processes that explain the fundamental similarities among all human beings, while also considering—or speculating on—the factors that cause significant differences between individuals. Establishing from the start a countdown-clock schema to mark off the crucial stages of the nine-month cycle, the three episodes—“The First 8 Weeks,” “One of a Kind,” and “The Final Countdown”—deftly identify points at which major changes occur, and note when slight (and often still inexplicable) variations can happen with serious, sometimes life-threatening results. The series offers examples of those rare divergences from the ordinary by introducing individuals and groups with conditions that are caused by genetic abnormalities, including colorblindness, an inability to form bone, hands with six fingers, and situs inversus, the latter a situation in which internal organs develop in reverse left-to-right positions. It also suggests that much of what a person will become has been predetermined by his or her experience in the womb: a pregnant woman's diet, for instance, might powerfully affect her child's health and life expectancy, while a recent study suggests that the stress a mother undergoes during pregnancy could cause conditions such as autism and learning disabilities. Such conclusions will no doubt give many viewers pause, but the documentary simply offers them up as possibilities that may be tied to the creation of human beings, a process that for all of our scientific and medical advances remains deeply mysterious in many respects. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)