At present there are going on decisive developments in the introduc- tion of physiological thinking into anaesthesiological practice. These innovative motion comprises applications taken from space physiolo- gy, closed-circuit ventilation systems, neurophysiologic control of cir- culation and ventilation together with innovative aspects of circulation physiology and respiration physiology. Involved are innovative aspects of neuromuscular blockade, volatile anaesthetics, cardiorespiratoric monitoring, haemodilution and blood substitution. Special emphasis is put on demonstrating the closed circuit system as a combination of anaesthesia system and monitoring system in daily clinical routine. Additional knowledge and investigation are stimu- lated in the fields of anaesthesia, neurophysiology, pharmacology, space medicine and metabolic physiology using non-invasive methods of monitoring like the evaluation or the neurovegetative status of man and its addaptive changes.
Combining these aspects and systems will provide a quite new analytic and synergetic power in the direction of physiological anaesthesia and monitoring which finally will result in a totally new system of a physiological "micro-anaesthesia". We recommend this bock therefore to all anaesthetists, clinical physiologists and pharmacologists as well as to physicists and engi- neers interested in innovative and non-invasive methods in physiologi- of closed systems.