This book was conceived as a text-reference to serve both students
and professionals in a variety of fields. Although developed for use in
universities and technical institutions, this volume will be helpful to
specialists and researchers in other fields who require a knowledge of
the essentials involved in the biological response to radiation. In our
own courses the enrollment includes botanists, ecologists, fish and
game conservationists, geneticists, medical students, nuclear en￾gineers, physicists, and veterinarians. Accordingly, the language of
exposition is such that any educated individual can grasp the basic
principles. Highly technical terms are used only to save space in certain
summary paragraphs.