Pathomechanisms describe the dynamic process through which disease develops and transforms in the body. While pattern diagnosis provides the practitioner with a snapshot picture of the current state of illness, it is a thorough understanding of pathomechanisms that allows one to predict and prevent the progression of disease. A comprehensive knowledge of the pathomechanisms involved in a given case allows treatment to be more holistic, preventative, and effective. In modern China, pathomechanisms have become a major focus of Chinese medical literature and education. Up to now, relatively little of this material has been transmitted to the West, and consequently many practitioners have failed to go beyond pattern diagnosis to examine the underlying disease process that produces the patterns. Thus, pathomechanisms are often described as a �missing link� in a Westerner�s Chinese medical education. Paradigm's new series of texts devoted to pathomechanisms attempts to bridge this gap so that practitioners may advance their knowledge and reap the rewards of greater clinical success.