Calendar: 1974-1975 Page 449

lxviii Annual Report of the Delegacy DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACOLOGY Number of Students 249 Sc 33 Postgraduate Departmental Notes Professor Brownlee examined at the Universities of Ibadan and of the West Indies where he also lectured He continued his research on the anti-hypertensive effects of a-adrenocept or blocking agents with Miss Elizabeth Kean The year under review has seen the continuation of the planned increase in undergraduate numbers entering the degree course in Pharmacology The policy of accepting only well qualified entrants after interview appears to be justified by the distribution of first- and upper second-class honours achieved We remain less convinced of the advantages traditionally thought to be contributed by adversity The unavoidable delays in the rehabilitation of the old Chemistry laboratory for our second and third year honours classes are vexing Another session must go by before promised beginning is made Dr Paterson and Mrs Alison Boydell continued research on the effects of drugs on intraocular structures making use of fluorescent histochemical technique for visualising adrenergic nerves Blood flow in isolated and intact arterial beds and its alteration during nerve stimulation and injection of drugs was extended to congenitally- and -induced hypertension with Mrs Hatham Al-Jubouri and Mr Wayyes Research also continued with Mrs Ada Oser on intracellular recording from foetal and neonatal skeletal muscle Dr Paterson lectured at the Institute of Ophthalmology Dr Littleton's group continued the investigation into ethanol dependence in mice involving changes in transmitter levels in the brain during chronic ethanol administration and withdrawal Significant changes have been found in brain monoamines and amino-acids Preventing the changes in brain catecholamines associated with ethanol withdrawal has been shown to modify the withdrawal syndrome Dr Ortiz has been involved in the work on mono- amines whereas Griffiths is responsible for the amino-acid analysis Work on ethanol preference in rats and the effects of acetaldehyde