This was an important Symposium in a rapidly developing field of interest. It was designed to draw attention to areas which have been neglected in standard hepatology textbooks and to review areas of controversy. It was also meant to help bridge the communication gap between hepatologists'caring for children and adults as well as between some areas of clinical and basic research. The Symposium was a substantial success. Unfortunately two of the twenty participants did not deliver a manuscript. The result is a publication which is late and which is not as complete as it should be. For this lateness and incompleteness the editors apolo gize most sincerely--especially to those participants who delivered their manuscripts on time but even to those who delivered their manu scripts late. perhaps the most noteworthy feature of this publication is the fact that material presented in May 1980 is by no means out of date. Apart from the section on Viral Hepatitis, one of the most rapidly evolving fields of medicine, the context of the Symposium remains disturbingly current. The neglect continues, the controversies remain. We hope that this publication will help draw investigators into liver research, provide a useful point of reference for· those in the field and stand as a monument to editors past, present and future, who have chased, are chasing and will chase manuscripts in vain.
