The International Symposium on Alcohol and Alcoholism was held in Santiago, Chile, as a memorial to the late Dr. E.M. Jellinek, father of the scientific approach to the problems of alcohol. Leading authorities from many countries attended and contributed papers which have been revised and brought up to date where necessary for publication in this volume.

Besides drawing current research on many fronts to the attention of others in related disciplines, this volume has the dual advantages of exposing to a wider audience the significant work now being done by specialists in Central and South America and of providing a basic reading text for schools of alcohol studies and university courses dealing in part with alcohol problems. A few such texts now exist but are concerned mainly with social and psychological aspects. While not neglecting these, the International Symposium stressed additionally a wide range of topics including the biochemistry of ethanol metabolism, cellular and nervous system effects, psycho-biological factors in the etiology of alcoholism, organic and functional complications of excessive drinking, methods of diagnosis and treatment, epidemiological and preventative aspects. The papers not only report original work but also review the current status of knowledge in each area. In the selection of topics, which are arranged to form a logical series, a special effort was made to secure comprehensive coverage of the areas of particular relevance to those with a medical interest in the management of alcohol problems.

All the papers have been updated by their authors to 1969, and most are supplied with an extensive reference list. The volume contains as an appendix a bibliography of the seminal published work of E.M. Jellinek in the field of alcoholism.

In bringing together these fifty authoritative papers in a single volume, the editor has created a compendium that can serve as a standard reference work on alcohol problems for government, social, and medical agencies throughout the world.

Robert E. Popham has published over 15 papers and books related to advancing understanding in alcohol and drug problems, including Statistics of Alcohol Use and Alcoholism in Canada, 1871-1956: First Report.

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