In the relatively short history of pediatric cardiology, this is the era of the newborn, and appropriately so, for here is where the action lies. Of all the seven ages of man, this is the one with highest morbidity and mortality from congenital heart disease and, therefore, the one with the greatest challenge to do something to alter that situation. To do something requires first that the problem be recognized; second, that a multifaceted approach be made to understanding why there is such a problem, and third, that an interdisciplinary attack be mounted for a satisfactory solution. That is what this book is all about.
It is a collection of a series of articles that appeared in four successive issues of Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases during 1972 and 1973. The authors were selected for their expertise in cardiovascular embryology, neuropharmacology, and physiology as well as pathology. After this background was