Publisher's Synopsis
The field of endocrinology in 1986 has expanded enormously, not only in its recogni tion of a wide variety of new tissue hormones, but also in the manner in which advances in molecular biology have pinpointed the nature of the processes by which hormones exert their regulatory role. Advances in structural biology have introduced new concepts in the function and characteristics of hormone receptors. The impor tant role of immunological reactions has shed light on the genesis of disorders such as diabetes mellitus and primary adrenalitis, and progress in the field of genetics has provided new information on the transmission of metabolic disorders. Such rapid and sweeping changes make mandatory a major revision of textbooks of endocrinology at this time. In this second English edition of Clinical Endocrinology Professor LABHART has recruited a remarkable cadre of mainly Swiss scientists with broad educational back grounds of biomedical training. Today more than ever there is a need for textbooks of medicine to support clinical information with relevant basic science concepts. This was the approach Labhart initiated in his original textbook and which is fol lowed and amplified here. The extensive bibliography provides a remarkable resource for physicians, teachers, and students, as well as for research scientists. The historical reviews which many textbooks have almost completely eliminated are particularly informative as to how and in what manner today's knowledge has been attained.
