According to Valentin (1833) and Luschka (1862), the first description of the structure now known as the carotid body must be ascribed to a Swiss physiolo- gist - Albrecht von Haller - who, in 1762, called it the ganglion exiguum. This claim, however, may be erroneous, for Tauber (1743) described a struc- ture at the bifurcation on the common carotid artery and called it the ganglion minutum. Andersch (1797) reprinted the text of a study made by his father between 1751 and 1755. The original printing of this work had apparently been sold as waste paper Andersch called the organ the ganglion...

The scientific literature has expanded dramatically in recent years, making entry into the structure of any given area extremely difficult; concurrent with this explosion more people are required to become acquainted with information outside their main line of expertise. For this reason there is a need for review articles which give an overall review of circumscribed areas. This volume reviews the subject of respiratory control mechanisms; the authors of each chapter are active research workers engaged in the area covered by their chapter. The first four chapters are concerned with the basic...