Endocrinology V. [antikvár]

PrefaceIn the past few decades we have witnessed the discovery of most of the modern knowledge on the male reproductive system. Spermatogenesis and its control, as well as the production of hormones by the testis, have been the focus of intensive investigation for many years. These efforts have been amply rewarded. We now understand in great detail the sequence of events that transform relatively undifferentiated spermatogonia into highly complex spermatozoa. The synthesis and secretion of steroids by Leydig cells has been well characterized, and we are approaching an understanding of the finer mechanisms of this process at the subcellular level. In contradistinction to the testis, however, research on the excurrent ducts has gained momentum only during the past few years. Fundamental observations on epididymal sperm maturation that were made in the 1920s and 1930s virtually lay dormant for a quarter of a century, until the late 1950s when new interest developed. Over the past decade or so interest in sperm maturation has quickened and, as a consequence, research into broader aspects of epididymal function has also increased. Again, the rewards have been ample, as will be shown in this volume, which is organized in a more or less classical sequence from the testis, through the reproductive tract, to the urethra.This volume has had a long gestation; the original call for contributions was given early in 1970. However, between 1970 and 1973 a tremendous amount of work was published on the male reproductive tract, and re-search horizons in this field were expanded because of the availability of the powerful research tools of molecular and cellular biology. We felt that a volume on the male would not be complete without reviews of some of the new and exciting areas that these approaches afforded. In 1973, therefore, we issued invitations to new contributors for an additional nine chapters to cover the areas of physiology of the blood-testis barrier, of steroid-protein interactions (especially with respect to the new observations on androgen-binding protein), of the molecular effects of both steroid and gonado-trophic hormones at the cellular and subcellular levels, and of the effects of vasectomy. This expansion of the volume necessitated a delay of many months in publication, and we are deeply grateful for the forbearance and timely revisions of the original contributors.We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to Harriet S. Levy and Doris L. Morton for their labors in copyediting during the early phases of the volume, and to Brenda B. Rauner for the final copyediting and integration of the completed volume. Their careful attention to detail and devotion to clarity of expression were an indispensable part of production of this volume that is appreciated by the contributors and editors and will be appreciated by the readers.david w. hamiltonroy o. greepVolume Editors