Mucus In Health And Disease Ii

This second International Symposium on Mucus in Health and Disease once again brings together basic scientists such as Biochemists, Anatomists, Biologists and Clinicians who are dealing with aspects of mucus in the various tracts of the body where it is of such great functional importance. It is fitting that the meeting should take place at Manchester University where there is so much activity in this field and our grateful thanks are due to Or Eric Chantler for his untiring efforts in organising this meeting. At the first Mucus meeting, Sir Francis Avery Jones stated "this is a subject which will justify further Symposia, both local and international". As he predicted, this meeting succeeds the first and adds further to our progress in understanding the complex and unique structure and function of the mucus secretion in its various sites of the body. Much was learned from the first meeting and it is hoped that the second will be an appropriate successor to it. The emphasis in this meeting has been to encourage discussion and the presentation of research material. In this respect, review articles have been kept to a minimum. The structure of the Conference has been organised around eight keynote addresses: one on the biosyn thesis of the general mucus glycoproteins and another on its physical properties. Other keynote papers are on the biochemical and clinical aspects of mucus in the respiratory, gastrointestinal and urogenital tracts by recognised authorities in these subjects.

Sir Francis Avery Jones 149 Harley Street, London, WlN 2DE, U.K. This first international symposium on Mucus in Health and Disease brought together medical scientists, physiologists, pharmacologists, physicians, surgeons, gynaecologists, ophthalmologists, anatomists, biologists, medical engineers and biochemists - a spectrum which indicates the wide field of interest in mucus both in health and in disease. The idea for the meeting came from Dr. S. Gottfried whose researches led to the development of carbenoxolone, a substance which stimulates mucus production and in this way favours the healing of peptic ulcers. The idea was enthusiastically welcomed by Professor Dennis Parke and he, and Mr. Max Elstein, have been the dynamo behind the meeting. The opening keynote address by Professor Clamp set the scene for the Symposium, painting a broad canvas and highlighting the main features. We cannot do without mucus, irritating though it may be if there is too much or too little, and in so many systems of the body it plays a vital role. For the first time the specialists in different systems of the body have had the opportunity of coming together and discussing their special problems - a cross-fertilisation which proved to be most valuable, not only for one another but also for the medical scientists who had been closely concerned with the chemistry and physical properties of mucus.

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