In November 1986, I was invited to attend a symposium held in Barcelona on Diseases of the Pericardium. The course was directed by Dr. J. Soler-Soler, director of Cardiology at Hospital General Vall d'Hebron in Barcelona. During my brief but delightful visit to this institution, my appreciation of the depth and breadth of study into pericardial diseases, carried out by Dr. Soler and his group, grew into the conviction that these clinical investigators have accumulated a wealth of information concerning pericardial diseases, and that investigators and clinicians practicing in English speaking...

Therapy in cardiology has advanced enormously in recent years. This has resulted in the organization of many meetings and the publication of numerous books dedicated to examining the latest aspects of, for instance, pharmacolog ic, electrical and surgical treatment. However, only a few of these meetings and publications have attempted to present an overall review of all advances that have taken place in the field of therapy. In the last years the Spanish Society of Cardiology has shown a great interest in the continuous medical education in cardiology. The Society has organized various...