This volume contains abstracts of most of the significant scientific literature dealing with prostaglandins published between 1906~when certain biologically active tissue extracts first stimulated the speculation of researchers~and 1970~when the use of prostaglandins for experimental control of fertility and induction of labor had been reported from six countries. Of the more than 4000 articles now identified which were published between 1906 and 1972, approximately half had appeared in print by the end of 1970. A second volume will cover the material printed in 1971 and 1972 with special emphasis on the role of prostaglandins in reproductive physiology. The reasons for publishing this considerable compilation of data are twofold. On the one hand, prosta· glandins, a family of fatty acid derivatives first identified in human semen, have been shown to have great and varied effects on all aspects of human physiology due to activity at the cellular level as mediators in the formation of cyclic AMP. The study of prostaglandins is considered today one of the most promising fields in the biological sciences. Secondly, as is now recognized, prostaglandins play an important role in reproduction, influencing both male and female fertility. It is hoped that this volume will make the results of early prostaglandin research available to investigators throughout the world, including especially those in developing coun· tries who may not have easy access to such material.
