PREFACE 



Although recent years have seen major advances in all aspects of endo- 

 crinology, some of the most exciting ones have been in our understanding of 

 the mechanisms controlling ovulation. In addition to a clarification of the 

 roles of steroid hormones and the pituitary gonadotropins in this process, 

 evidence has accrued that certain regions in the hypothalamus, and perhaps 

 in other regions of the central nervous system, have a primary function in 

 controlling ovulation, probably by way of the pituitary. On February 26-28, 

 1960, a group of investigators met at Endicott House, Dedham, 

 Massachusetts, under the sponsorship of Harvard University and the 

 Association for the Aid of Crippled Children, New York City, to review 

 and evaluate the experimental evidence upon which the current concepts 

 of the mechanisms controlling ovulation are based. The results of some 

 current attempts to inhibit or prevent ovulation by the administration of 

 analogs of the steroid hormones were also discussed in detail. 



Some thirty endocrinologists, biochemists, physiologists, neurologists, 

 anatomists, obstetricians and gynecologists from the United States, England, 

 and the Continent were invited to participate in this conference. The twelve 

 papers given at the conference have been published with the minimum of 

 scientific editing necessary to bring them into a consistent form. The 

 discussion following each paper was recorded by a stenotypist and edited by 

 each discussant. The task of the editor was greatly facilitated by the generous 

 co-operation of the authors and discussants in returning their corrected 

 manuscripts promptly. 



The conference was planned by a committee composed of Drs. Roy O. 

 Greep, Duncan E. Reid, and Claude A. Villee of Harvard University with 

 Mr. Leonard W. Mayo and Mrs. William F. FitzGerald of the Association 

 for the Aid of Crippled Children as consultants. Funds to underwrite the 

 costs of the conference were provided by a grant from the Association which 

 is interested in conferences of this type as part of its program in medical and 

 social research related to the prevention of disabling diseases and conditions 

 of children and youth. 



Claude A. Villee 



Boston, Massachusetts 



