C++ FAQ Celebrating Twenty-One Years of the C++ FAQ!!!
(Click here for a personal note from Marshall Cline.)
Section 10:
10.1 What's the deal with constructors?
10.2 Is there any difference between List x; and List x();?
10.3 Can one constructor of a class call another constructor of the same class to initialize the this object? Updated!
10.4 Is the default constructor for Fred always Fred::Fred()?
10.5 Which constructor gets called when I create an array of Fred objects?
10.6 Should my constructors use "initialization lists" or "assignment"?
10.7 Should you use the this pointer in the constructor?
10.8 What is the "Named Constructor Idiom"?
10.9 Does return-by-value mean extra copies and extra overhead?
10.10 Does the compiler optimize returning a local variable by value?
10.11 Why can't I initialize my static member data in my constructor's initialization list?
10.12 Why are classes with static data members getting linker errors?
10.13 Can I add = initializer; to the declaration of a class-scope static const data member?
10.14 What's the "static initialization order fiasco"?
10.15 How do I prevent the "static initialization order fiasco"?
10.16 Why doesn't the construct-on-first-use idiom use a static object instead of a static pointer?
10.17 How do I prevent the "static initialization order fiasco" for my static data members?
10.18 Do I need to worry about the "static initialization order fiasco" for variables of built-in/intrinsic types?
10.19 How can I handle a constructor that fails?
10.20 What is the "Named Parameter Idiom"?
10.21 Why am I getting an error after declaring a Foo object via Foo x(Bar())?
10.22 What is the purpose of the explicit keyword?
[10.3] Can one constructor of a class call another constructor of the same class to initialize the this object? Updated!
[Recently updated due to C++11 syntax. Click here to go to the next FAQ in the "chain" of recent changes]

This answer will be updated due to C++11 constructor chaining. Watch this space for updates in the near future!!

Nope.

Let's work an example. Suppose you want your constructor Foo::Foo(char) to call another constructor of the same class, say Foo::Foo(char,int), in order that Foo::Foo(char,int) would help initialize the this object. Unfortunately there's no way to do this in C++.

Some people do it anyway. Unfortunately it doesn't do what they want. For example, the line Foo(x, 0); does not call Foo::Foo(char,int) on the this object. Instead it calls Foo::Foo(char,int) to initialize a temporary, local object (not this), then it immediately destructs that temporary when control flows over the ;. 

class Foo {
public:
  Foo(char x);
  Foo(char x, int y);
  ...
};

Foo::Foo(char x)
{
  ...
  Foo(x, 0);  // this line does NOT help initialize the this object!!
  ...
}
You can sometimes combine two constructors via a default parameter: 
class Foo {
public:
  Foo(char x, int y=0);  // this line combines the two constructors
  ...
};
If that doesn't work, e.g., if there isn't an appropriate default parameter that combines the two constructors, sometimes you can share their common code in a private init() member function: 
class Foo {
public:
  Foo(char x);
  Foo(char x, int y);
  ...
private:
  void init(char x, int y);
};

Foo::Foo(char x)
{
  init(x, int(x) + 7);
  ...
}

Foo::Foo(char x, int y)
{
  init(x, y);
  ...
}

void Foo::init(char x, int y)
{
  ...
}
BTW do NOT try to achieve this via placement new. Some people think they can say new(this) Foo(x, int(x)+7) within the body of Foo::Foo(char). However that is bad, bad, bad. Please don't write me and tell me that it seems to work on your particular version of your particular compiler; it's bad. Constructors do a bunch of little magical things behind the scenes, but that bad technique steps on those partially constructed bits. Just say no.