YALE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE (1992).
FOREWORD
The rate at which information has
accumulated during recent years has almost outstripped the capacity of
individuals to maintain a comparable rate of intellectual progress. In
particular, one of the main issues has been the inability of the accumulated
information within different disciplines to become available to individuals
working in related but separate areas. In many instances, solutions to a
problem that exists in one field of medicine are in place in another
discipline, but often remain unknown to different groups. The evolution of
gastrointestinal physiology, pharmacology, and clinical medicine is a
classic example of the major acceleration in information generation and
application, with subsequent some-times less than optimal
cross-fertilization of paralled fields of endeavor.
The primary purpose of this meeting was to bring together experts on a
number of different cell and organ systems within the gastrointestinal
tract. The development of topic sessions made possible discussion of the
current stat of investigative work with colleagues of comparable skill and
expertise, familiar with alternative but related areas of investigation.
This unique opportunity for physiologists, pharmacologists, cell biologists,
and clinicians to participate in a high-level interaction was aimed at
providing a substantial base to support future collaborative and interactive
projects. The proceedings of the meeting have been published in order to
furnish an overview of the current state of investigation on a wide range of
different areas within the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, a personal
review statement by the chairman of each session has been included in
order to place individual topics into a current perspective.
While territorial imperatives have often confounded the aspiration of states
and their leaders, it seems important in this day and age that science, and
medicine in particular, not fall victim to such situations. Only by the
constant interface of different but related disciplines will the complex and
multifactorial issues relevant to the solution of pertinent physiological
and clinical issues be resolved. The ability of perspicacious individuals to
combine their intellectual resources in moving forward the boundaries of
knowledge is paramount in enabling the health of our society to prosper.
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