Painful disorders following injury ofperipheral nerves; bones and othersoft tissueshaveoccurredfrom theearliesttimesofhuman existence. Ambroise ParewascalledupontotreatthepersistentpainexperiencedbyKing Charles IXwhich wascausedbyalancetwound. Thepainwaspersistent,diffuseand associatedwithcontractureofmuscles. Thekingcouldneitherflexnorextend hisarmforamonth untilthepainfmally disappeared WeirMitchell, G.R.Moorehouse,andW.W.Keeneproducedamonumental treatisein 1864titled"GunshotWoundsandOtherInjuriesofNerves,"which containedan account ofsymptoms and signs ofperipheral nerve injuries as observed in Unionist Soldiers. After 1864, however, little mention ofthis condition wasmade during peacetimeuntil a spateofarticlesappearedagain afterWorldWarOneandTwo. With the formation ofsocieties such as International Association for the Study of Pain, renewed interest has been shown in understanding the mechanismsandmanagementofpainsyndromes. Paincausedbysympathetic disordershasalwayscaughtthefancyofclinicians, andyetconfusionexistsas tothe etiologyandpropertreatmentofreflexsympathetic dystrophy. Many new names have been proposed for these syndromes; recent ones include sympatheticallyornonsympatheticallymaintained pain. Taxonomy ofThe International Association for the Study ofPain lists causalgia and reflex sympathetic syndromes as two distinct entities. All clinicians seem to feel that pain relieved by a diagnostic sympathetic block should be labeled as causalgia or reflex sympathetic dystrophy. Similarly, numerous therapeuticmodalitieshavebeenproposed. Theyallcenteraround sympathetic denervation of some sort, pharmacologically, chemically, or surgically. Inspiteofagreatadvanceinourunderstandingofpainmechanism in the last quarter century, we are no closer to improving the outcome of patientswithsevere reflexsympatheticdystrophy. Etiologyand incidenceis xvi Serieseditorforeword still unclear. Diagnosis is made late and treatment is not standardized Clinicians whotreatcausalgiaandreflexsympatheticdystrophyhavedifferent treatmentsbasedupon their background and experience,ratherthan on the mechanism ofthesyndrome itself. ThetimeisopportunenowtogathersomeunbiasedthoughtsonRSDand clem- the air. Our editors, in particular Michael Stanton-Hicks, needto be congratulatedfor organizing a timely symposium onthesubject and inviting international expertsto discuss the pathophysiology and treatmentofRSD. Whatfollowsinthismonograph isaclear,concisepresentationanddiscussion ofnomenclature, etiology, incidence, mechanism, treatment, and outcome of RSD.

Again rapid advances in the brain sciences have made it necessary, after only a few years, to issue a revised edition of this text. All the chapters have been reviewed and brought up to date, and some have been largely rewritten. The major revision has occurred in the chap ters on the autonomic nervous system and the integrative functions of the central nervous system. But in the discussion of the motor systems and other subjects as well, recent insights have necessitated certain conceptual modifications. In the description of the autonomic nervous system, the role of the intestinal innervation has been brought out more clearly than before. In addition, there is a new presentation of the physiology of smooth muscle fibers, and more attention has been paid to the postsynaptic adrenergic receptors, because of the increasing therapeutic signifi cance of the at f3 receptor concept. A substantial section on the genital reflexes in man and woman, including the extragenital changes during copulation, has also been added. The text on the integrative functions of the central nervous system has been expanded to include, for the first time, material on brain metabolism and blood flow and their dependence on the activity of the brain. Reference is also made to recent results of research on split brain and aphasic patients and on memory, as well as on the physiol ogy of sleeping and dreaming.

Almost all bodily functions are dependent on activity of the autonomic nervous system - from the cardiovascular system, the gastrointestinal tract, the evacuative and sexual organs, to the regulation of temperature, metabolism and tissue defence. Balanced functioning of each aspect of this system is an important basis of our life and well-being. In this long-awaited second edition, the author, a leading figure in this field, provides an up-to-date and detailed description of the cellular and integrative organization of the autonomic nervous system, covering both peripheral and central aspects. The book exposes modern neurobiological concepts that allow us to understand why this system normally runs so smoothly and why its deterioration has such disastrous consequences. This broad overview will appeal to researchers and advanced undergraduate students of the various biological and medical sciences studying how the autonomic nervous system works and to clinicians and physical therapists whose practice involves systems dependent on autonomic functions.

Almost all bodily functions are dependent on activity of the autonomic nervous system - from the cardiovascular system, the gastrointestinal tract, the evacuative and sexual organs, to the regulation of temperature, metabolism and tissue defence. Balanced functioning of each aspect of this system is an important basis of our life and well-being. In this long-awaited second edition, the author, a leading figure in this field, provides an up-to-date and detailed description of the cellular and integrative organization of the autonomic nervous system, covering both peripheral and central aspects. The book exposes modern neurobiological concepts that allow us to understand why this system normally runs so smoothly and why its deterioration has such disastrous consequences. This broad overview will appeal to researchers and advanced undergraduate students of the various biological and medical sciences studying how the autonomic nervous system works and to clinicians and physical therapists whose practice involves systems dependent on autonomic functions.