The success of a scientific workshop depends on a delicate blend of many
types of ingredients. Most important is to select a provocative topic
which is at the forefront of a current investigative study. Coupled
together with a relatively small but distinguished group of active
research scientists known for their continued record of contributing
significant findings, one has the firm foundation for an exciting and
rewarding investment of time and effort. This was the setting for the
first workshop organized by the European Association for Veterinary
Pharmacology and Toxicology. Ruminants have been domesticated for many
centuries and have served mankind as a source of dairy products, meat,
wool and power. The ruminant stomach has long been - and still is - a
major concern for physiologists, pathologists, clinicians and
pharmacologists. This workshop was organized and convened in an attempt
to strengthen the basic science of the ruminant stomach, as it applies
to an economically important group of mammals. To achieve this, various
topics were covered by specialists which ensured presentation of new
data, followed by discussions. In this book, reviews are presented on
the different topics: motility (control and regulation,
neurotransmitters and endogenous substances involved); flow of digesta
(comparative aspects, role of content and metabolites); food intake;
rumen metabolism (chemical manipulation, metabolism of xenobiotics and
drugs); pharmacology of forestomach motility and, the reticulo-rumen as
a pharmacokinetic compartment.