Hypertension is a major world-wide health problem. With high blood pressure there is a greater risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney disease and renal failure. Far too few people realize what the risks are and what can be done to prevent these risks even in the countries where pro grams in hypertension research are active and the full significance of hyper tension is best understood. Some studies of the known hypertensive popu lation indicate that one-half or less are receiving adequate treatment, and, of those on therapy, only half have their high blood pressure satisfactorily controlled. These realizations emphasize the need to inform all segments of society throughout the world on the importance of detection and control of high blood pressure. The great incidence of hypertension makes it of para mount importance that all practicing physicians have available the latest information on diagnosis and treatment of hypertensive cardiovascular dis ease. This treatise on hypertension arrives at a time when there is an increasing recognition the world over of the importance of detecting and treating high blood pressure. The book has been edited by Dr. A. Amery and his asso ciates in the University of Leuven. Professor Amery is one of the leaders in the field of hypertension and serves on the Council of the International Society of Hypertension.

Alcohol abuse is this culture's most important drug problem. Statistics indicate that it is exacting a great and relentlessly increasing toll of human suffering. It is clear that the problem is not being dealt with in any effective manner. At the invitation of the. Canadian Hepatic Foundation, many of the world's experts gathered in Toronto, May 14-15 1976, to focus attention on one of the most important aspects of the alcohol problem -alcohol induced liver damage. The epidemiology of alcohol induced liver disease was discussed and current views on the pathogenesis of the problem were reviewed. New insight into the pathological alterations of the liver was presented and some of our current therapeutic capabilities were discussed. Dr. Hans Popper summarized the Symposium and presented some of his views on those aspects of the problem which will require early attention by the research community. The Symposium achieved its immediate objective -that of bringing together the committed experts of various disciplines for an updating of our understanding of alcohol and the liver and for a discussion of new approaches to the problem. As a backdrop to the Symposium, however, was large writing on the wall to the effect that we are expending our research talents and efforts on a totally unnecessary problem. Right now we probably know enough and have sufficient resources at our disposal to solve the problem.

Controversy regarding the wisdom of a high salt intake has been with us for 5000 years. In the Nei Ching, the oldest of the extant medical writings, the Yellow Emperor observed, "Hence, if too much salt is in the food, the pulse hardens, tears make their appearance, and the complexion changes". At about the same period in history, Job asked the question, "Can that which is unsavory be eaten without salt?" It is not apparent whether or not the Almighty provided a clear answer. The connection between dietary salt intake and hypertension was appreciated following the observations of AMBARD, BEAUJARD, VOLLHARD, ALLEN, and others. However, DAHL emphasized this relationship, as demonstrated by his epidemiological observations, his studies in human subjects, and his development of a genetically mediated form of salt-sensitive hypertension in rats. DAHL and his followers argued that hypertension was a disease of acculturation, or even of self-abuse. Undaunted by skeptics such as PICKERING, they suggested that if Western man would merely curtail his intake of the granular condiment, hypertension would not develop and blood pressure would not increase with age. Bucolic native societies were given as examples where such cardiovascular bliss was readily attained.

Smoking, diet, stress, coping, and exercise, among other behaviors and psychological states, are now clearly implicated in the development of cardiovascular diseases. Prevention, based largely on altering behaviors that contribute to this chronic disease, is now as important a goal as is treatment of those already afflicted. This volume, based on a recent meeting of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research, addresses several important areas of research in the general area of cardiovascular disease. The topics covered reflect on important aspects of this phenomenon, such as the long-term development of coronary artery disease; central nervous system (CNS) regulation of blood pressure, heart rate, and sympathetic tone playing a pivotal role in sympathetic activity and hypertension; learned blood pressure modulation and baroreceptor activation as a means of reducing the aversiveness of stress or noxious stimulation; and the notion that symptoms of heart disease or infarction may occur in the absence of organic heart disease. Having been impressed by the recent advances in the field, the editors of this book capture the wealth of newly acquired knowledge about behavioral factors in cardiovascular disease and how the body's nervous, endocrine, and cardiovascular systems work together.

Abstract: The current state of hypertension research is reviewed, focusing on 12 special hypertension concerns and covering each concern with the following: an evaluation of the current literature, recommendations for future research, and a comprehensive list of references. Volume 1, written for the public, examines hypertension as both a public health and a research problem, and Volume 2, written for the biomedical community, explores general recommendations, and summaries of scientific reports are covered in volumes 3 through 9.