A glance at the table of contents of this twelfth volume of Annual Review of Pharmacology will indicate to the prospective reader that the general format of the series has stabilized. The Editorial Board plans that certain general topics should be reviewed periodically—if not yearly then at least every two or three years—and that certain drugs or topics have "surfaced" and are the object of so much current investigation that they merit individual reviews. Another reason for individual or specialized reviews is the opinion of many authors that their competence lies in a particular area of the general topic they were asked to review and the Editors rarely fail to grant their requests to limit their areas as they see fit. The net result is a volume containing several reviews in depth as well as more generalized coverage of the recognized subdivisions of pharmacology and toxicology.

This volume is no exception——the reader will find six specialized and sixteen general papers sandwiched between Eichler's interesting story of his part in the development of German pharmacology and Leake's traditional Review of Reviews. Thus, we trust that between these covers each reader will find something to his liking and that authors and Editorial Board will continue to derive satisfaction from the worldwide warm reception granted our member of the family of Annual Reviews.

As always, our thanks to our Assistant Editor, Virginia Hoyle, Subject Indexer, Dorothy Read, and publishers, the George Banta Company, Inc., for their essential roles in giving this book its final form.

THE EDITORIAL BOARD