Professor Caplan has extensively edited the book to shape and organize the contents into a succinct presentation by experts of the basic science and clinical aspects of the topic. The text has been divided into sections: The Brain.- Macroscopic and microscopic molecular aspects of brain ischemia, including pathophysiology, pathology, biochemistry, and clinical measurement.- Blood Vessels.- Their constitution and the pathology and physiology of the endothelium and arterial wall.- Blood Flow.- Its physics, control, rheology, and pathophysiology.- Blood.- The role of the cellular and serological constituents in coagulation and fibrinolysis. - Heart.- Sources of embolism and cardiac changes caused by brain ischemia.- And Epidemiology, Databases, and Trials. Prefatory remarks by Professor Caplan introduce each section. At the end of each section he relates the basic concepts to patient problems in the clinic, integrates the various contributions in the section, and covers other areas not discussed by the individual contributors.