The First Wiggers Bernard Conference on Shock, Sepsis, and Organ Failure was envisaged as a meeting of American and European Scientists. It was named after two researchers, one from the "Old" and one from the "New World", who are wellknown for their outstanding achievements in shock research and experimental medicine. This meeting was a point of de- parture for a series of workshops that will focus on two to three main topics dealt with in detail...