This book comprises the proceedings of an view of the subject to an audience of clinicians. Advanced Teaching Course held in Rotterdam, The outcome is the present book. Due to the ex­ The Netherlands, on November 25-26, 1976. pert knowledge and didactic capacity of the con­ The history of this Course goes back to tributors, we hope the book will be of some use in 1972, when a small, loosely connected group of making research views accessible to those Dutch researchers, who were fascinated by in­ engaged in clinical practice. vestigating fundamental problems of inflam­ In organizing this Course we enjoyed the mation, felt the necessity of coming together support of the 'Gerrit Jan Mulder Foundation', from time to time to exchange ideas about their which aims to promote post-doctoral training in work. The desire for such informal gatherings led the Medical Faculty of the Erasmus University to the foundation of the Inflammation Section of Rotterdam. We are particularly obliged to Dr M.