In this book on diabetes mellitus both the pathogenesis and treat- ment of the disease will be discussed. Pathogenetic studies have led to the distinction between type I and type II diabetes. In type I hyperglycaemia is due predominantly to insulin deficiency; in type II insulin resistance is more important. Three pathogenetic factors are thought to play a role in the etiol- ogy of type I diabetes: heredity, viral infections and immunity. There may be a relationship between these three aspects since genetic pre- disposition changes the susceptibility to viral infections and/or the...