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.

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.