The development of accurate hormonal assays in recent years has evoked much interest in the area of anaesthesia and surgery. In an effort to allow an exchange of ideas and new information in this area, the First International Symposium on Endocrinology in Anaesthesia and Surgery was held in Bonn during September 1978. The contents of this book represent much of the information presented by the leading authorities in this field. The presentations were grouped in three areas: 1. Basic problems of endocrinology in anaesthesia and surgery; 2. The response of the endocrine system to anaesthesia...

Endocrinology is a rapidly developing field with many new concepts. In addition, many new hormones have been described since 1960. The structural analysis and synthesis of several intestinal hormones such as gastrin, secretin, glucagon and cholecystokinin have been achieved. Several hypothalamic hormones controlling pituitary function have been identified and in certain cases synthesized. The existence of hormonal peptides se creted from ectopic sites has been recognized. The development of new techniques of hormone assay has stimulated studies on the effects of anesthetics on the endocrine...