Preface
It is an old and trite saying that a preface is written last, placed first and read least.
It may also be an explanation or justification for what follows, especially if the
author feels that the reader may not agree with him . This is thus, something of
an apologia.
When I first agreed to write this book, I felt that it was to be directed principally
towards the endocrine system of vertebrates especially as there were available some
excellent accounts of their osmoregulation. However, it was soon apparent to me
that in order to appreciate the role of the endocrines one must strongly emphasize
non-endocrine funct ions involved in the regulation of the animals water and salt
balance. In addition several years have elapsed since a full account of vertebrate
osmoregulation has been given . I have thus felt free to take an overall look at the
animals water and salt metabolism, but have especially emphasized more recent
contributions. Possibly the book should now be called 'Osmoregulation and the
Endocrines' .
A rather conventional format has been retained for , despite many claims to the
contrary, I do not feel that all things new, experimental and innovative are necessarily desirable. In the first two chapters I have attempted to introduce, and summarize, at a general level, the two major topics, osmoregulation and endocrines,
while emphasizing the diversity of such processes in the vertebrates. In the second
chapter I have also included a section on the 'Criteria, methods and difficulties '
of experimental comparative endocrinology. I felt that this information ma y be
useful for the reader who desires to make a critical appreciation and evaluation
of many of the experiments that are described. It may, hopefully, also be useful
to the younger workers interested in comparative endocrinology and help them
to glean something about the sort of work that they may expect to do. The vertebrate groups have been described within the framework of their customary
classification , a decision arrived at primarily because this also makes a little evolutionary sense. Some have que stioned the wisdom of plac ing the mammals first, and
traveling down , rather than up, the phyletic scale . However, each chapter is reaso nably complete in itself so that those who disagree can resort to the subte rfu ge
of reading the book backwards.
I have attempted to relate the ph ysiology of the various beasts to that of the
environments that the y normally occupy. At the same time I have not hesitated
to descend to the more currently fashionable 'molecular level'. I hope th at thi s may
help to remind both some of the more 'mature' readers and emphasize to the
younger ones the very broad scope of interest that animals have to offer. It is principally for the yo unger group that th is book has been written.
New York
1970
P.J. Bentley
It is an old and trite saying that a preface is written last, placed first and read least.
It may also be an explanation or justification for what follows, especially if the
author feels that the reader may not agree with him . This is thus, something of
an apologia.
When I first agreed to write this book, I felt that it was to be directed principally
towards the endocrine system of vertebrates especially as there were available some
excellent accounts of their osmoregulation. However, it was soon apparent to me
that in order to appreciate the role of the endocrines one must strongly emphasize
non-endocrine funct ions involved in the regulation of the animals water and salt
balance. In addition several years have elapsed since a full account of vertebrate
osmoregulation has been given . I have thus felt free to take an overall look at the
animals water and salt metabolism, but have especially emphasized more recent
contributions. Possibly the book should now be called 'Osmoregulation and the
Endocrines' .
A rather conventional format has been retained for , despite many claims to the
contrary, I do not feel that all things new, experimental and innovative are necessarily desirable. In the first two chapters I have attempted to introduce, and summarize, at a general level, the two major topics, osmoregulation and endocrines,
while emphasizing the diversity of such processes in the vertebrates. In the second
chapter I have also included a section on the 'Criteria, methods and difficulties '
of experimental comparative endocrinology. I felt that this information ma y be
useful for the reader who desires to make a critical appreciation and evaluation
of many of the experiments that are described. It may, hopefully, also be useful
to the younger workers interested in comparative endocrinology and help them
to glean something about the sort of work that they may expect to do. The vertebrate groups have been described within the framework of their customary
classification , a decision arrived at primarily because this also makes a little evolutionary sense. Some have que stioned the wisdom of plac ing the mammals first, and
traveling down , rather than up, the phyletic scale . However, each chapter is reaso nably complete in itself so that those who disagree can resort to the subte rfu ge
of reading the book backwards.
I have attempted to relate the ph ysiology of the various beasts to that of the
environments that the y normally occupy. At the same time I have not hesitated
to descend to the more currently fashionable 'molecular level'. I hope th at thi s may
help to remind both some of the more 'mature' readers and emphasize to the
younger ones the very broad scope of interest that animals have to offer. It is principally for the yo unger group that th is book has been written.
New York
1970
P.J. Bentley