It was an agreable, though strenuous task to edit a book with so many distin guished contributors, on a subject to which I have given half of my life. In 1959, when Prof. O. EICHLER invited me to edit a book on "Histamine and Anti histaminics", as a supplement to HEFFTER'S Handbuch, I thought the task could be done in three years. Now, five years are gone and only half is fulfilled. Though, so far as the "Histamine" part of the book is concerned, the initial plan has been followed very closely, we had to leave the Anti-histaminics for another volume of unpredictable dimensions. In 1924, eight pages inserted in a Chapter on M utterkorn, by ARTHUR R. CUSHING were considered enough, in vol. II, Part II, pg. 1319-1326, of the Handbuch. Now, 922 pages did not suffice to cover all the aspects of the subject. Especially in the last few years the subject has expanded in so many directions, that the antihistaminic part had to be excluded from the present volume. Possibly, another thousand pages will be necessary to cover what remains of the subject. In planning the book we made great use of the excellent and classical mono graph by W. FELDBERG and E. SCHILF on Histamin, published by Julius Springer, in 1930.

Inhalt
1: Chemistry, isolation and occurrence of histamine.- Section A: Chemistry of histamine and analogs. Relationship between structure and pharmacological activity.- Section B: Die Isolierung von Histamin aus biologischem Material.- Section C: Determination of histamine by chemical means.- Section D: Biological determination of histamine in living tissues and body fluids.- Section E: The occurrence of histamine in mast cells.- Section F: Histochimie des mastocytes.- 2: Pharmacology of histamine.- Section A: Absorption de l'histamine par l'appareil digestif.- Section B: Captation de l'histamine par les protéines sériques.- Section C: Toxicity of histamine: Lethal doses.- Section D, I: Action de l'histamine sur les muscles lisses.- Section D, II: Action of histamine on the smooth muscle.- Section E: Action of histamine upon the circulatory apparatus.- Section F: Action of histamine upon salivary glands.- Section G: Effect of histamine on gastric secretion.- Section H: Relationship between histamine and the autonomous nervous system.- 3: Release of histamine.- Section A: Release of histamine by animal venoms and bacterial toxins.- Section B: Release of histamine by noxious physical agents, organic compounds and by metals.- Section C: Histamine release by basic compounds.- Section II: Release of histamine in anaphylaxis.- Section E: Makromolekulare 13istaminliberatoren.- Section F: Release of histamine from mast cells.- Section G: Interaction of mast cells with cationic histamine releasers.- Section H: Release of histamine in relation to phosphorylation and respiration.- 4: Metabolism of histamine.- Section A: L'excrétion de l'histamine.- Section B: Catabolism of histamine in vivo.- Section C: In vitro metabolism of histamine (exclusive of diamine oxidase).-Section II: Enzymatic formation of histamine from histidine.- Section E: Histamine pyridine coenzyme interactions.- Section F: Histamine metabolism in man.- Section G: Histamine in the brain.- 5: Physiological significance of histamine.- Section A: Rôle de l'histamine dans la vasodilatation d'origine postéro-radiculaire.- Section B: Physiological significance of the effect of histamine on gastric secretion.- Section C: The relation of histamine to inflammation.- Section D: L'histamine dans l'allergie humaine.- Section E: Histamine and experimental asthma of the guinea pig.- Author index.