The keynote of this monograph is (as one contributor puts it) to "set the stage for a mechanistic cellular and subcellular approach to the peripheral circulation." It is based on a symposium on the pathological physiology and anatomy of the peripheral vessels sponsored in 1962 by the International Academy of Pathology. The purpose is partly to call attention to the current state of knowledge and, more significantly, to make known new directions, awaken the scientific imagination, and direct work into new and fruitful channels.
Thirteen authors from various fields each discuss some aspect of normal anatomy and physiology, etiologic factors, or pathological manifestations. The subject matter relates mainly to arteries and capillaries and is about equally divided between the normal and the diseased state.
Fawcett, through electron microscopy, shows that capillary endothelium varies considerably in thickness and in the number and size of pores, a matter of considerable importance in