Hans Selye

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Hans Hugo Bruno Selye CC (Selye János, Vienna, January 26, 1907 - Montreal, October 16, 1982) was a Canadian endocrinologist of Austro-Hungarian origin.

His mother was Austrian; his father was Hungarian. He did much important theoretical work on the non-specific response of the organism to stress. While he did not recognize all of the many aspects of glucocorticoids, Selye was aware of their role in this response. Some commentators considered him the first to demonstrate the existence of a separate stress disease, the stress syndrome, or general adaptation syndrome (GAS). Philosophically the concept of Adaptation runs through most life activities, from wound response to language to literature and beyond. The General Syndrome is one which invokes a systemic response. Closely linked to the idea of adaptation is the concept of Integration, biological systems gaining integrated responses (ie cells acting in concert) though chemicals (hormones) and nerves (autonomic {sympathetic/parasympathetic}, central nervous system, reflex arcs, and... [any input here welcome. aside: it has been stated that Freud early worked on worms, trying to understand the integrative function of the worm nervous system.].

His initial inspiration for GAS came from an endocrinological experiment in which he injected mice with extracts of various organs. He at first believed to have discovered a new hormone but was proved wrong when every irritating substance he injected produced the same symptoms (swelling of the adrenal cortex, atrophy of the thymus, gastric and duodenal ulcers). This, paired with his observation that people with different diseases exhibit similar symptoms, led to his description of the effects of "noxious agents" as he at first called it. He later coined the term "stress", which has been accepted into the lexicon of various other languages. Although Selye claimed to have coined the term "stress", it should rightly be attributed to Walter Cannon, according to Robert Sapolsky^{[citation needed]}. Selye in the preface to 'STRESS', gives a couple of nods to Clade Bernard (developed the idea of 'millieau interior') and Walter Cannon's 'homeostasis' (here the idea of feedback is implicit if not explicit[?] and the idea of stress as an activating mechanism in all life capable of activation. Thus a cell sits content till a stressor ie danger or appetite, external or Internal stress activates mechanisms leading to an Adaptation to circumstance. In 'higher' animals this includes activities from blood clotting, flight/fight, etc. etc. up to Play { which prepares the safe animal for serious activity} ) Selye conceptualized the physiology of stress as having two components: a set of responses he called the general adaptation syndrome; under certain conditions, stressors cause illness.

To grossly oversimplify to the point of circular argument, Selye discovered and documented that stress differs from other physical responses in that stress is stressful whether the one receives good or bad news, whether the impulse is positive or negative. He called negative stress distress and positive stress eustress. The system whereby the body copes with stress, the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal system, was also first described by Selye. He also pointed to an alarm state, a resistance state, and an exhaustion state, largely referring to glandular states. Later he developed the idea of two 'reservoirs' of stress resistance or alternatively stress energy (which might be compared to Qi). A superficial level which is restored and a deeper level which is permanently depleated when drawn upon. One might also draw a parallel to muscular exercise where strength is gained by tension-release, whereas either tension or relaxation by itself leads to wasting. One might infer an ethic whereby an ill (including psycho and socio disease) person should do everything to reduce stress (sometimes this appears as attachments to minor anxieties to mask deeper ones) but in one's strength the taking on of challenges.

He wrote Stress without Distress (1974), The Stress of Life (1956), and From dream to discovery; on being a scientist (1964). He worked as a professor and director of the Institute of Experimental Medicine and Surgery at the Université de Montréal.

In 1968 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. Seen in the round Selye's contribution is one of the 20th centuries greatest ideas, along with info and systems theory (which have staggering biological implications) and Heisenberg remembering that his existence was part of observation (thus harkening back to the Delphic Oracle's, " know thyself ". After Selye sociobiology made some extraordinary observations relating to integration of baboon troops (etc) which are compelling evidence that the unit of being is Not the individual but the tribe, troop, etc. )