FUNCTIONAL SYSTEM AS THE MAIN PRINCIPLE

OF INTEGRATIVE ACTIVITY IN LIVING ORGANISMS

c o mme ntary
Guest Commentary

P.K.A.nolchin
P.K.A.nokhin
Acadellician
Acadelllician
Sechenov's Institute of Physiology
Pbysiology
First Moscow Medical Institute
Moscow. U.S.S.R.
Syste.s
3ystea. movellent
movelllent developing in the contem- te scien~ific
scien~ifie researches in biological
porary science has to overcome the over- sciencea.
science ••
flow of different analytical fact. facts con- B. The second question. inevitably re.~ re.~
fronting the scientist wbich are not con- Iting fro.
from the first one. is: what i.
nected with eaoh otberother and not organized the degree of isoaorphism
isomorphism of the syste.
into a conceptional l.lAity.
unity. These peculiar organizing factor for different class•• class ••
properties explain popularity of the sys- of syste
systems•• (organism, SOCiety,
society, aachiae),
machi.e).
tems approach as well as the hopes being since only width of this i.omorphi.a
isomorphism
rested on it. ADd it is in this direction spreading can give the ground to call
that its development is realized now (P. the theory as "general systems theory".
K.A.nolchin.I935;
K.A.nokhin.I935; L.Von Bertalanffy.I949; C. The third question 1s: is: does
doe. the
A.S.lberall.I966.1972). The systems app~
A.S.Iberall.I966.1912). app~ system have such a working functional
systea
ach has to become a conceptional bridge. bridge, architectonic by lIleans
means of which it real~real~
providing deterllinistically
deterministically convincing zes itself, i.e. establishes a workiag
transitioas
transitioBS fro.fro a a systell
systelll level toward an co-operation between separate compoDents
components
analytical research, a 1Il0lecular
molecular level in- selectively involving other components?
cluding. It IIlUst
olgding. must also clearly determine D. Are there key .echanisms
aechanism. within the
the position of an analytical detail in- system, different by their quality.on
.ystem, quality,on
side the system
systelll in the whole organism in- which basis the systelll
system forms itself and
tegrative function. These peculiarities which could serve as a conceptional bri-
of the systems approach have to turn tl.lrn the dge between the proper systemic regula-
systell
system into a universal Icey key to eliainate
eliminate rities and the finest .echanisms
aechaniams of func-
the contradictions accl.laulated and to f~
contradictioDS accUllulated tioning, i. ia the forth question.
lIulate new, lIore
lIlulate aew. more progressive generaliza- An attentive appraiSing
appraising of the above
tions. However, despite a wide interest questions is enough to see that no sys-
toward theoretical perspectives of the tems theory could pretend to be thorough-
systems
systellls approach, in study of the organie ly proved untill
until1 these questions are an-
a.s in particular.
8IIS particular, there have not been swered. However, they remain untouched
still settled the basic prinCipalprincipal questi- by the sost
most theoretical generalizations
generalisations
ons concerning formulation of the syste.
on. in this field. Only A.S.lberall
A.S.rberall is appro-
as well as rules of its properties appli- aching toward their constructive appli-
cation in a concrete scientific reseacrh. cation in his receat
recent book (A.S.Iberall,
(A.S.lberall,
Any syste.s
systeas theory having no connection 1972). Using the functional system systelll prin-
with a 8cientific
scientific reseacrh will rellainrelllain ciple
Ciple as an instrument of a concrete re-
fruitless for a scientific progress. The search (P.K.Anokhin. 1935).
1935), we had obtai-
latter CircU8stance
circUIIstance is the main reason of ned some
sOllle virtual data that enabled
enaD1ed us
a slow develop.ent
developaent of the systems appro- to aDswer
answer the above questions definitel~.
definite1~.
ach principles. The.eThese draWbacks
~backs are clue to
due 10 It appeared, first of all, that the uae- use-
the fact that the basic demands demaDds to the s~stem result was the only syste.-or-
ful s~stelll
systems organizations Which whIch must be aade. I18de. ganlz~ng factor transforming
ganiZ1Dg transforaing unsystemic
unsystelllic
have not been settled from the very begin- beg1D- relat ionships into systemic.·
relationships Its role in
systelllic." It.
ning. 10 atteapt
Dins. attempt to construct a systems the system formation becomes
beeollles imperative
theory can be convincing if these demands demaDds from the very beginning, since all the
froa
are not settled. These .ain lIlain demands are systell
systelll processes serve to solve the que-
the following: stion: what result .ustmust be received bf Bl
A. First of all, it needs to answer the the system tiyen moment? ADd 1
syetelll at the fiven i~
question: which factor transmits a chao- is
Is the result form ng the return afferen-
tic .as. orit of the COliCOIll onents
onent8 and aulti-
multi- tat ion on the basis of its parameters
orm re a ODS ips ps e ween t ese compo- ("feed-back" at present) that is able as
nent. fro. wnonslstemW state into.
froa a WnoDSfsteaW shown by our laboratory to reorganize
wsyst.a w one? In oiher
Wsyste. 0 her words,
word., a Wslstelll
Wsiste. the systea
system components
cOlllponents again and again
organizing" factor lIlust
must be revea!e
reveate and till a result adequate for the given ao- .0-
formulated .t the beginning ot the system alst81 aent analysi8
ment is received. A historical analysis
stidt.Absence of this
stidi.lbsence tbis factor definite f~ of the functional system development de-
mu a ion has kept application of, for ex-
IIlU 1I0nstrates
monstrates that the initial appearances
appearance.
xaaple, "the general systeas
systems theory" of of the Earth pre-biological organizations
organization.
L.VOD Bertalantfy.
L.vo. Bertalanffy, apart from the concre- possesa a dln8llic
had to possess dynaaic systeas
slstems archi-

9
tecture,the useful effect of which was I• Orten[inq
Reaction
stability and resis~ance toward the ex-
ternal world factors (P.K.Anokhia,I962).
ADd 1aproTemen~ of those first usefal re-
sults lstability and resistance) in the
process of ajustaent prOTide. the whole
complicated apparatus of systemic regula-
tion in modern animals. BelOW, a coaplete
model of the functional system 1s demon-
strated that proTides all the stages of
obtaining and controlling the useful re- A//erent!
A//eren
sult (Fig. I). As the further analysis has Synlhe,JLs
S ynlhesL S
shown, all the useful results, wherever
obtained (organisa, society, machine) are Ellerent hcitalions
attained by the same operational architec-
ture. That means that the useful slstem
result is an isomor hous s stem or aniz
ao or, e ~ va or gu e eren
classes of p enomena. Proceeding from the
aboTe we can affIra that the functional A//erentation
Return Allerentation
ststems theorl satisfies comp1ete11 thede~s
t at had been formulated; hence it can be
ustifiabl called as the enera1 functi-
ells
ona SlS ems eol'1. e unc OM
eory. ona 8yS
sys ea,
em, r--
I
- -- --1
I
reve81s, possesses soae key ae-
as pIg.t reveBls, me- 1I
I
I
I
perfora realization of its
chanisms which perform I
I
1I
I
all processes, cellular and subcellular :: ,.J.~~~.,
,.J.~~~.., ::
including. Therefore, by its operational I
I
I
I
architectonic it provides the conceptio- 1I 1I
peraits putting forward
nal bridge which permits I
: I
I

new problems of a true systemic character. L__ _ _ I

Combination of the functional system pro- Afferent
perties and mechanisae, presence of the SynlhesiS
Syn/heris
Bystem organizing factor in particular,
system
enables us to use it in In settling 11&07
maD7 Efferent Excitations
problems of various phenomenal elasses:
classes:
biology, lied icine, pedagogy, society,
medicine, soclet7, art,
(P.K.Anokhln,
technique, cybernetics, etc. (P.K.Anokhin,
1962,1968,1912). A wide range of resear-
ches being realized by me and 111 my collabo-
rators now, convinces us in fruitfulness Return Allerentatt'on
I?eturn Allerentalion
of the functional system theory and makes
further development of its theoretical
basis inevitable.
r-- - - -,
:
: ~'-'...,.-<,....,
~'--'-.-"...,
: ""-':TTr~~
""'-':7'Tr~"-'
I
I
:It..or~~~
:~~~~,.I
I
...
I
I
Il __ _ _

Afferent
SyntheSiS
J'ynlhesLJ

EKcilalions
Efferent Exctlalions

10