I welcome the privilege of writing some words of introduction to this important book. Its authors have been courageous in bringing together in one text a triad of topics that cover such large tracts of biomedical sciences as epidemiology, biochemistry, immunology, and clinical medicine. Malnutrition and infection are known to be closely linked, the one promoting the other. The adaptive immune system forms a part of the link since it is responsible for a good deal of defense against infection, and it may be affected adversely by malnutrition and indeed by infection itself. Knowledge in this complex field is of great potential importance because malnutri tion and infection are such dominant features of the ill-health of many of the world's underprivileged people. As this book shows, there is no lack of technical facets for study. There are now so many components of the immune response which can be measured or assessed and so many aspects of nutritional biochemistry which can be studied that the problem is to select what to study and where to begin. Moreover, the great number of variables in the nature of nutritional deficiencies, in types of infections or multiple infections and in the genetic, environmental, and social background of the affected people, all combine to make interpretation and application of findings a speculative business. Descriptions of cause and effect must us ually be provisional rather than definitive.

Numerous economic, sociocultural, and health problems continue to impede the optimal progress of many millions of people in the developing countries in tropical and other geographic regions of the world. Thus, tropical medicine has many aspects including parasitology, bacteriology, and virology, environmental sanitation and hygiene, nutrition, pharmacology, immunology, agriculture, eco nomics, political science, anthropology, sociology, and behavioral sciences. Like the mythical Proteus, the individual dealing with tropical medicine must assume many roles. There is a growing recognition of the unique problems of the tropical countries. This has led to concerted efforts by many international agencies to attempt to obtain new tools to control many of the tropical diseases that have defied previous attempts at large-scale control. The involvement of the world's leading scientists and institutions as well as the best talents and resources of the developing countries themselves has inspired considerable research in tropical medicine with an inevitable exponential growth in publications. The new series Critical Reviews in Tropical Medicine is being launched to provide topical state of-the-art critiques of selected subjects in this burgeoning field. Authored by active investigators in their chosen topics, these reviews should be useful for all health professionals, social scientists, and administrators involved in planning interventions, both preventive and therapeutic, in developing regions of the world. Contributions included in Volume 1 span parasitology, infectious disease, immunology, gastroenterology, liver disease, and nutrition."

At the present time there are renewed global efforts to control the major tropical infections and to stem the tide of malnutrition, the two serious, often intertwined, problems that contribute to much of the morbidity and mortality in under privileged populations. Many international organizations have joined hands with national governments and with the private sector to search for new approaches to problems that beset much of the developing world, including countries in the tropical region. This volume continues the tradition of the previous publication in the Series. A variety of fare is offered to readers: explanations of the activities and achievements of the UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Re search and Training in Tropical Diseases; and studies of infant mortality, schistosomiasis, trypanosomiasis, helminths, lactase deficiency, oral rehydration therapy, functional consequences of iron deficiency, and fertility control. Au thoritative state-of-the-art reviews provide a critical analysis of recent data. I hope the Series will continue to prove useful to all those working in the tropics and to those in the industrialized countries whose awareness of physical health problems of the Third World is relatively limited. R. K. Chandra St. John's, Newfoundland VlI Contents Chapter 1. The Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DAVID S. ROWE 1. Origins, Objectives, and Diseases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2. The Modus Operandi of the Programme. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2. 1. Scientific Working Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2. 2. Research Strengthening Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2. 3. The Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee. . . . . . . . . 7 2. 4. Joint Coordinating Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

At the present time there are renewed global efforts to control the major tropical infections and to stem the tide of malnutrition, the two serious, often intertwined, problems that contribute to much of the morbidity and mortality in under- privileged populations. Many international organizations have joined hands with national governments and with the private sector to search for new approaches to problems that beset much of the developing world, including countries in the tropical region. This volume continues the tradition of the previous publication in the Series. A variety of fare is offered to readers: explanations of the activities and achievements of the UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Re- search and Training in Tropical Diseases; and studies of infant mortality, schistosomiasis, trypanosomiasis, helminths, lactase deficiency, oral rehydration therapy, functional consequences of iron deficiency, and fertility control. Au- thoritative state-of-the-art reviews provide a critical analysis of recent data. I hope the Series will continue to prove useful to all those working in the tropics and to those in the industrialized countries whose awareness of physical health problems of the Third World is relatively limited. R. K. Chandra St. John's, Newfoundland VlI Contents Chapter 1. The Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DAVID S. ROWE 1. Origins, Objectives, and Diseases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2. The Modus Operandi of the Programme. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2. 1. Scientific Working Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2. 2. Research Strengthening Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2. 3. The Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee. . . . . . . . . 7 2. 4. Joint Coordinating Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .