INTRODUCTION

Organizer of the Synz.posiurvk De'pnrte~nent de Pharwur-dogie , P"ctc~lti de M$drcine,

hPniversit8 de Ll~on t rkn l , A4ontrku1, Qzre'.

On December 31, 1964, a symposium on the relationships between tnor- phology and phar~nacology was held in hIontrea1, as part of the I3Ist annaaal ~r-aeeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. This symposium was sponsored by the Phara~nacological Society of Canada.

Barriers between the biological sciences are gradually disappearing. Already, in the science of pharmacology, the tools and thoughts of biochenlists have become of paramount irrlportai~ce for proper understanding of the rllecharllsins of drug effects. Likewise, but more recently, the anatomist and the experi- mental pathologist have developed irsterests outside of their donlain and made many worthwhile coratributions to various chapters of pharmacology. 'I'his symposium illustrates some of the relationships developed in recent years between the scie~lces of ~rlorphology anel pharmacology. I t was organized in the belief that serious attempts should be made to bridge the gap betweerm thcsc two disciplines.

The first three papers outline solrle inaportant contributlorls of niorpho- logical methodology to the understanding of the mechanism and site of action of drugs. The last three papers illustrate some of the many biological problems which call be tackled effectively by use of a ~lsultidisciplinary approach in- volving phar~nacological ~arad morphological techniques.

As a result of studies on the ultrastructure of various neurons with proper fixation methods, I)r. Saradborn puts forward an interesting hypothesis con- cerning a iilainelltous and ~r~icrotubular orgarlizatiora within thc cytoplasns which affords a new anato~nical substratum for the concepts of storage, trans- port, and liberation of neurohumoral substances; such a contribution is most relevant to the thinking- of the illodern ""pol" pharm:tcologist. l)r. Susan Tolnai reviews the use of tissue culture 11% the study of anticancer agents and outlines her personal results on the use of various fatty acids and their derivatives against transplantable rliouse tumors. The technique of auto- radiography is described and its scope and liirlitations in the study of drug localization are outlined by L>r. Uerlinguet; his personal results on the use of autoradiography to elucidate the ~netabolisrrl and lrlode of action of amino acid analogues are also presented and discussed.

I>rs. Beaulnes, Bois, and Carle discuss in their paper the use of drugs i ~ r the search for abnornlal reactivity patterns in pathological preparations, \vhereas Dr. Jasnlirl discusses in his paper the use of drugs as tools to induce

Canadian Journal of Physiology a11tB Pharmacolog~-. Volume 44 (1966)

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328 CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY A N D PIXARMAGOLOGE'. VOL. 44, 1966

varioris types of lesions in otherwise norrrial animals. In the first instance, the delnonstratiol~ sf an altered drug reactivity in dystrophic animals affords a clue to the understanding of the genesis and nature of the underlying disease. In the other paper, it is shown that large doses sf vassactive compounds can k~e used to produce a variety sf experi~ne~mtal lllsdels of cardiac and renal Besions of a surprising specificity. 111 the last paper, Ilrs. Bois and Beaullles surnnlarize their results on a typical biological problem requiring a multi- disciplinary approach: the relationships between histarnine liberation, nnag- nesiuln deficiency, and the production of lyimphosarconla of the thymus in the rat.

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