This volume contains the proceedings of an International Symposium held in Toulouse on 22 to 23 April 1988 on essential fatty acids. This symposium was initiated by Professor Jacques Ghisolfi and Kabi Laborato-ries were honoured to contribute to the organisation of the meeting. Specialists from several countries gathered to discuss developments about essential fatty acids. The intention was to bring the audience up to the state of the art in this field.