Our knowledge about the function of the melanocyte has expanded beyond boundaries not previously imagined. The melanocyte is no longer considered merely a factory for the production of the pigment melanin. Old data do not contradict the new but must be reinterpreted in light of modern concepts of molecular and cellular biology, enzymology, biochemistry, chemistry, and physics. Diseases of the pigmentary system must be understood in terms of modern science. The editors, each with special knowledge of the pigmentary system, have combined their expertise and talents to produce a book that will...