Despite considerable effort in primary prevention, coronary heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the industrialized nations. The patient who survives his first myocardial infarction carries approximately a tenfold risk of recurrence and sudden death when compared to the normal population. The concept of secondary prevention, therefore, has emerged as an active strategy aimed at the reduction of fatal and non-fatal recurrences of myocardial infarction. Apart from risk factors of relevance in primary prevention, secondary prevention is dependent on the extent of the disease itself; in other words the number of vessels involved, the extent of myocar dial damage and the degree of electrical instability. Nonmedical aspects such as the level of education, the degree of social support and the attitude towards stress also appear to influence the prognosis. The aim of this volume is to bring together all those factors relevant to achieving the maximal life span in patients afflicted with a disease that by its very nature is a lifelong process. However, as the late Paul Dudley White stated appropriately more than 40 years ago, it is not sufficient merely to add years to a life, one should also add life to the years. This concept truly is the nucleus of secondary prevention, sine only a life worth living generates the motivitation needed to take all the steps necessary in secondary pre vention. The authors and the editor are most grateful to Pharma Schwarz Inc."

This book contains the proceedings of a conference organized by the Klinik Hohenried at the Evangelische Akademie in Tutzing under the patronage of the International Society of Cardiology - Council on Rehabilitation - from Febr. 12-14, 1981. The purpose of the meeting on Current Problems in Cardiac Rehabili- tation was to come closer to answering the questions posed in the fol- lowing pages, and to make some opinions about cardiac rehabili- tation less contoversial. To comment briefly on the interesting question of why opinions in the field of cardiac rehabilitation seem more controversial than in other fields of cardiology, we would like to propose the following explanation: 1. Lack of personal experience and lack of special training in cardiac rehabilitation are a major source of misunderstandings and differ- ences of vocabulary between cardiologists engaged in clinical practice and in rehabilitation. 2. Emotional problems in accepting a new kind of partnership between coronary patients and their physicians and a "nihilistic attitude" towards therapy of behaviour play an important role in the scepti- cism of cardiologists. 3. Fear of an expensive "overmedication" (I. Illich) is another argu- ment concerning rehabilitation.

It begins with a statue... Eleven-year-old Michael Ravencraft is a self-taught junior agent itching to fine-tune his skills. When a statue of a Hawaiian Demigoddess mysteriously appears in the middle of his hometown of Stormy Bay, Washington, he quickly takes action to unmask the truth. While working the case, Michael makes an incredible discovery; his father is rumored to be alive and walking among them. A sign of what's to come... Blinded by the desire to find his father, Michael ignores the strange occurrences gripping his hometown in fear - ghostly figures, disappearing citizens, eerie circus, and power hungry German Nazis. But when a pendent around his neck flashed blue, something impossible happened, he mind-traveled to the past - against his will From the past he learns of an ancient Hawaiian race of beings called Kupua that possess the very power the Nazis seek; an elixir that gives immortality and the ability to change shape. Unexpected turn-of-event has occurred, Michael's older sister Isabella reviles her deepest secret and transformed into a bobcat. Now he questioned his own humanity - reality is a hard thing to swallow. And ends with the pulse of a child... A small amount of the elixir has been found, but it doesn't work on humans. Michael is believed to have the missing ingredient; his own blood. Several evil factions have united determined to possess the elixir for themselves and will stop at nothing; power worth killing for... Now Stormy Bay becomes a battleground and Michael's the grand prize - if they can catch him