It is a pleasure to contribute a brief foreword to this new, comprehensive 1980s saw an explosion of knowledge in pul- text on the pneumonias. The is every reason to expect it to continue through monary science, and there the end of the century. As a result, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with all the important advances, even in a restricted area of interest. For this reason, books such as the present one that collate the latest findings on an important clinical topic in a convenient, readable form provide a valuable service. This book is a salutary reminder that there is life beyond molecular and cell biology. Important though these disciplines are, some of us regret the lemming-like rush into these fashionable fields at the expense of more traditional pulmonary science. One result of this rush has been an increas- ingly large number of residents and fellows who are unable to interpret the results of blood gas assays or who are completely at sea when presented with a patient who requires mechanical ventilation. The present perception that research funding is available only in molecular and cell biology has produced some unfortunate distortion of training programs. I pity the poor medical student in some of our most prestigious medical schools who is taught by a molecular biologist or neurophysiologist how the lung works. I wish the book well.