Comparative Physiology of Thermoregulation, Volume III: Special Aspects of Thermoregulation attempts to do three things: It completes the taxonomic organization of the first two volumes, with a chapter on the ""primitive"" mammals. It deals with special aspects of thermoregulation. Aquatic mammals must be considered in this category because they are the only ""warm-blooded"" animals that live in a medium which has an enormous cooling power compared with that of air. Torpidity is a dramatic thermoregulatory phenomenon displayed by only certain groups of mammals, while the newborn mammal faces special problems in thermoregulation that distinguish it from the adult. Finally, the last chapter complements the arrangement of the first two volumes by its treatment of the evolution of thermoregulation from the standpoint of physiological systems rather than classes of animals. It was initially hoped that this three-volume treatise would provide a useful reference work for the comparative physiologist. The reception accorded to the first two volumes suggests that this hope has been largely realized. However, it appears that the books have their greatest appeal to those engaged in the study of physiological ecology, and this lends to the work a currency which was not entirely anticipated at the time of its conception.

Over the last decades, our understanding of the relationship between thermoregulation, performance and fatigue has changed dramatically. New advances in technology and methodology permitted the study of rising and decreasing body temperature on metabolism and provided insights into the role the nervous system plays in determining human performance under thermally stressful situations. Further analysis of previous research has been necessary in addition to considering theories derived from complimentary areas of research such as evolutionary biology, anthropology and cellular and molecular biology. This publication provides different interpretations of recent research for a better understanding of the limitations of thermoregulation. In particular, it presents evidence for the human's ability to anticipate thermal limits and adjust their performance accordingly so that cellular homeostasis is preserved. Further, the book is featuring the inclusion of the effect of reduced body temperature on muscular performance and endurance which today is a popular method for providing avenues of reduced thermal strain and recovery from exercise. This publication will be an essential read for those working in thermal medicine, exercise physiology and human performance.

How do mammals manage to maintain their body temperature within the same narrow range in environments as different as polar regions and hot deserts? This advanced text describes the morphological features and physiological mechanisms by which humans and other mammals maintain their body temperature within a narrow range despite large variations in climatic conditions and internal heat production. Its 19 chapters deal with the physics of heat exchange with the environment, and the autonomic and behavioural mechanisms available to control the loss and production of heat. The neuronal basis of temperature regulation and current concepts of the central nervous interface between temperature signals generated in the body and control mechanisms are examined in detail. This book is of invaluable help for undergraduates, postgraduates, teachers, physicians and scientists.

Many advances have been made in the field of thermoregulation in the past few years. These include our understanding of Fever, which is now considered not simply a rise in deep body temperature foHowing infection, but just one aspect, though perhaps the most easily measured, of the Acute Phase of the Immune Response. Classification and identification of the Cytokines and the availability of recombinant material has greatly aided this research. Similarly, our understanding of the Hypothalamo-Pituitary Adrenal Axis has altered our way of thinking about temperature regulation. Of importance are the problems associated with adverse climatic conditions and survival, and the problems encountered by the neonate and the hibernator. At the biochemical level, our knowledge of the control of heat production and the role of brown adipose tissue is rapidly advancing. All these issues and many others were discussed at a Symposium 'Thermal Physiology 1993' held in Aberdeen, Scotland in August 1993 under the auspices of the Thermal Physiology Commission of the International Union of Physiological Sciences. Six main aspects of the subject of temperature regulation are included in this book, namely, Fever (including the Acute Phase of the Immune Response and Thermoregulatory Peptides), Neurophysiology of Thermoregulation, Neonatal Thermoregulation, Mechanisms of Heat Production, Ecological and Behavioural Thermoregulation, and Emerging Themes in Thermoregulation.