An account of the use of the gastrointestinal hormone glucagon in different clinical emergencies. An international group of experts from different fields of medicine cover a wide range of situations within acute medicine: cardiology; internal medicine; endocrinology; diabetology; clinical toxicology; surgery; paediatrics; gastroenterology; hepatology; and radiology. Based on an International Workshop held in Barcelona in October 1992, this volume contributes to the growing interest in the importance of glucagon both as a diagnostic tool and as a therapeutic agent in acute medicine. It should be of value to physicians and emergency and critical care specialists as well as to researchers interested in this hormone.

I am very pleased to say once again that I was delighted at being invited to chair this Third International Workshop on Glucagon (Glucagon in 1987). The two previous ones were held in Madrid under the auspices of the Medical School of the Universidad Complutense of that city, the first in May 1978 and the second in October 1981, which resulted in two books (Glucagon in 1979, and Glucagon in Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 1982, Gastroenterology, both published by MTP Press), where the mounting interest in and develop ments concerning the therapeutic applications of glucagon were reflected. This time the meeting was held in Barcelona under the auspices of the Escuela de Patologia Digestiva of the Universidad Aut6noma of Barcelona, a change that we especially welcomed because it is not very often that we are able to assemble in our city such a distinguished group of scientists from all over the world. As can be seen from the title of the present book, this workshop focussed once again on the current status of glucagon in gastroenterology and hepatology, because although much has been said and discussed about the subject already, it still raises exciting and intriguing issues for debate. There were two parts to this meeting. The gastroenterology session was concerned with the physiology and pathophysiology of glucagon in the gastrointestinal tract and its applications in diagnosis, endoscopy and radiology."

It was with very much pleasure that I accepted the invitation to chair this workshop on Glucagon in Gastroenterology. Not least among the reasons for my accepting was the fact that it would get me out from behind my administrator's desk at the univer sity and enable me to spend what promised to be a few refreshing hours in a field where so much is apparently happening. Another reason for my accepting was the attractiveness of the format planned for the workshop. It was to be a working event. The programme had been carefully planned to ensure that all aspects of the subject were covered and a very tight schedule was drawn up for we had to deal with the whole field in just one day. There was to be a small, truly international, list of participants, and, apart from those presenting papers, only two or three specially invited observers were to be present. Above all, perhaps, was the fact that the meeting was to be a multi disciplinary one."