Primary myocardial disease, nowadays referred to as congestive or, more re cently, dilating cardiomyopathy, comprises disorders of varied etiology. Most oftenly the pathogenetic mechanism or causative agent remains unknown. The significance of inflammatory processes, i.e. myocarditis in a wider sense as the etiologic factor has been debated for many years. In a few instances, especially in children and newborns viral infections can be incriminated. In adults this etiology can be ascertained only in rare instances. And it has remained entirely uncertain if, or under which circumstances, and...

This volume presents the proceedings of the Symposium on "Hypertension .* Mechanisms and Management" held at the "Akademie der Wissenschaften" in Mainz on the 1st and 2nd October, 1979. The Symposion has been dedicated to Professor Hanns-Peter Wolff, who has been the Chairman of the First De- partment ofIntemal Medicine at the University of Mainz since 1968, on the occasion of his 65th birthday. The conference was mainly devoted to pathophysiological aspects of high blood pressure. A first series of papers discussed the possible role of the sympathetic nervous system in the pathogenesis of...