The sixteenth annual symposium of the Society for the Study of Inborn Errors of Metabolism was held in Bristol from 12th to 14th July, 1978. About 25 invited speakers and 150 participants came from many parts of Europe and North America to consider the topic, 'Inherited Disorders of Carbohydrate Metabolism'. Although some aspects of these disorders have formed part of the programme of previous symposia organized by the Socie- ty, this was the first attempt to discuss them in a systematic manner. The subject, carbohydrate disorders, embraces both familiar and well documented conditions and...

Following the pattern of previous years the 11th symposium of the S.S.I.E.M. held in the beautiful sylvan surroundings of Sussex Univ- ersity, concentrated on a relatively small section of the field of inborn errors. The subject chosen-Inborn Errors of Skin, Hair and Con- nective Tissue, was a highly topical one. Intensive research during the last few years particularly on the structure and disorders of connective tissue has considerably advanced our knowledge on this subject. We believe that the range of diseases covered, and the depth in which they were discussed, made this meeting unique....