This volume presents the proceedings of the International Conference on Hemophilia held in Washington, DC in December, 1963, the third in a series of such meetings.
The entire symposium was devoted to measurement, biochemistry, and metabolism of blood-clotting factors VIII and IX (antihemophilic factor and Christmas factor, respectively), and to diseases associated with deficiencies of these substances. The expressed purpose of the publication is to provide a guide to recent advances and current thinking in this field. To a certain extent this goal is achieved. Of particular interest is the section on von Willebrand's disease, describing recent advances in understanding of this rare but fascinating hemorrhagic disorder relating to the mechanism by which factor VIII is synthesized.
Unfortunately, the biochemistry of blood coagulation is still quite vague because of technical difficulties peculiar to this field. As a consequence, there is much room for diverging opinions and a few of the