New material includes: meiosis; gluconeogenesis; fatty acid metabolism; discussion of the diseases of skeletal muscle; the mechanisms of itch; a more detailed treatment of the physiology of pain and vision; colour plates of common endocrine disorders; extensive revision of the section on the microcirculation; respiratory failure and associated conditions; the discussion of the countercurrent mechanism has been expanded and free water clearance is now discussed; malabsorption disorders; a chapter on Nutrition including a brief account of deficiency disorders and the assessment of nutritional status; the treatment of the physiology of bone has been expanded and now includes a brief account of bone healing after a fracture; the Clinical Physiology chapter now includes a brief account of the normal physiological changes that occur during life. Finally, the discussion of reproductive physiology has been extensively reorganized, revised and expanded to include more detail of maternal physiology.