Homeostasis
The constant conditions which are maintained in the body might be termed equilibria. That word, however, has come to have fairly exact meaning as applied to relatively simple physico-chemical states, in closed systems, where known forces are balanced. The coordinated physiological processes which maintain most of the steady states in the organism are so complex and so peculiar to living beings- involving, as they may, the brain and nerves, the heart, lungs, kidneys and spleen, all working cooperatively—that I have suggested a special designation for these states, homeostasis. The word does not imply something set and immobile, a stagnation. It means a condition-a condition which may vary, but which is relatively constant.
Notes:
Origin of the word, meaning the tendency of animal life to maintain an internal equilibrium.
Folksonomies: biology medicine medical homeostasis
Taxonomies:
/society/work/unemployment (0.489780)
/science/physics/thermodynamics (0.458335)
/health and fitness/disease (0.314896)
Keywords:
fairly exact meaning (0.984503 (neutral:0.000000)), Homeostasis Origin (0.824396 (neutral:0.000000)), internal equilibrium (0.750036 (negative:-0.268004)), constant conditions (0.742441 (neutral:0.000000)), animal life (0.728577 (negative:-0.268004)), closed systems (0.703348 (negative:-0.267120)), physiological processes (0.701766 (positive:0.503497)), special designation (0.695758 (neutral:0.000000)), condition-a condition (0.687321 (neutral:0.000000)), steady states (0.683637 (positive:0.503497)), word (0.583092 (negative:-0.415355)), immobile (0.500228 (negative:-0.415355)), equilibria (0.491638 (neutral:0.000000)), stagnation (0.491173 (negative:-0.653911)), spleen (0.489384 (negative:-0.407866)), tendency (0.489039 (negative:-0.268004)), kidneys (0.486249 (negative:-0.407866)), nerves (0.479644 (negative:-0.261107)), lungs (0.478152 (negative:-0.213940)), organism (0.472108 (positive:0.503497)), forces (0.463248 (neutral:0.000000)), body (0.458718 (neutral:0.000000))
Concepts:
Homeostasis (0.947302): dbpedia | freebase
Systems theory (0.918271): dbpedia | freebase | yago
Organism (0.838416): dbpedia | freebase
Physiology (0.821535): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Life (0.788706): dbpedia | freebase
Animal (0.682869): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Metabolism (0.681762): dbpedia | freebase
Biology (0.638407): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
The wisdom of the body