This volume presents to the international world of learning the first fruits of a project launched by the European Science Foundation (ESF) in 1977. Tribute should be paid to the late Professor Aleck Chloros, Judge in the Court of the Euro- pean Community, whose belief in the European ideal and enthusiasm for European co9peration and the comparative study oflegal problems made him an eloquent ad- vocate of a large-scale ESF venture into the field of comparative law. Judge Chloros had envisaged the creation of a permanent, sizable and well-equipped European in- stitute for comparative legal studies. The successive working parties convoked by the Executive Council of the ESF, which I had the honour of heading from the be- ginning, came to the conclusion that this ambitious vision could not be realized im- mediately; the financial situation of the member organizations of the ESF also de- teriorated, making a cautious approach a necessary virtue. The solution ultimately adopted by the last of the working parties - the Ad Hoc Committee for Compara- tive Law - and submitted to the General Assembly of the ESF in 1979 called for the launching of four pilot projects. In November 1980, the Assembly approved de- tailed plans for two of these projects, the first of which concerned medical respon- sibility - the subject of this volume. A Steering Committee was set up to monitor the projects. The organisation of the study was entrusted to Professor Dr.