I first became acquainted with Dr. Gottlieb Guntern's work at several scientific symposia and was impressed by the way he combined originality and imagination with the proper use of careful, multidisciplinary epidemiologic approaches. Dr. Guntern has attacked some of the cardinal aspects of the consequences, in terms of health, well.being. and social function, of rapid social change in an originally isolated rural community - a phenomenon that is occurring at an accelerating rate in developing, as well as in developed, countries. This worldwide problem is approached by Dr. Guntern in a...