Proceedings of an international symposium on [title] held August- September 1993, in Cologne, Germany, exploring the physiological relevance of taurine (known now to be much more than the mere metabolic debris of sulfur amino acid catabolism) and the numerous pharmacological actions that are beginning to be developed. Contributions are grouped in sections on the chemistry, biochemistry, and metabolism of taurine; the kidney; muscle and the cardiovascular system; the nervous system; taurine deficiency and clinical studies.