Endocrinology II/1-2. [antikvár]

Preface Classical physiologists, by tradition, have generally sought to ascertain principles governing the steady state. The most notable feature of the female reproductive system is the total absence of a steady state. By virtue of its ever changing functional status, the female reproductive system is clearly the prime example of a dynamic system. Its changes may be subtle, but, just as small daily lengthenings of sunlight yield a season, so do subtle changes in hormonal status yield a reproductive cycle. Some events in the cycle can be traced on a day-to-day basis, but others occur at such a pace that a reading must be made every 3 hr or even more often in order to obtain a true account of the shifting functional status. Even during long periods of gestation, the physiological indicators must show a constantly unfolding pattern, else the pregnancy cannot progress. Although the underlying morphological and biochemical processes that manifest these cyclic events and the neural and endocrine mechanisms that generate the cyclicity are only partially understood, a massive volume of information is at hand as the 50 chapters in the two parts of this volume make evident. It is here my pleasure, as editor of this volume on the female reproductive system, to express personally and on behalf of the Handbook Editorial Committee of the American Physiological Society our gratitude to the authors for their fine work in preparing these chapters. Their willingness to devote so much time and effort to this undertaking is deeply appreciated. I wish also to let it be known that the editorial skill of Kathleen Lamar has contributed enormously to the evenness of style and format of these volumes. To the copy readers, Jane Farrell and Doris Morton, must go the credit for a critical and searching scrutiny of the narrative for composition, clarity, and conciseness. ROY O. CREEP Volume Editor