The Conservative Physiology of the Immune System. A Non-Metaphoric Approach to Immunological Activity
Historically, immunology emerged as a biomedical science, concerned with host defense and production of anti-infectious vaccines. In the late 50s, selective theories were proposed and from then on, immunology has been based in a close association with the neo-Darwinian principles, such as random gen...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2006-01-01
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| Series: | Clinical and Developmental Immunology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17402520600877216 |
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| author | Nelson M. Vaz Gustavo C. Ramos Vitor Pordeus Claudia R. Carvalho |
| author_facet | Nelson M. Vaz Gustavo C. Ramos Vitor Pordeus Claudia R. Carvalho |
| author_sort | Nelson M. Vaz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Historically, immunology emerged as a biomedical science, concerned with host defense and production of anti-infectious vaccines. In the late 50s, selective theories were proposed and from then on, immunology has been based in a close association with the neo-Darwinian principles, such as random generation of variants (lymphocyte clones), selection by extrinsic factors (antigens)—and, more generally, on genetic determinism and functionalism. This association has had major consequences: (1) immunological jargon is full of “cognitive” metaphors, founded in the idea of “foreignness”; (2) the immune system is described with a random clonal origin, coupled to selection by random encounters; and (3) physiological events are virtually absent from immunological descriptions. In the present manuscript, we apply systemic notions to bring forth an explanation including systemic mechanisms able to generate immunological phenomena. We replace “randomness plus selection” and the notion of foreignness by a history of structural changes which are determined by the coherences of the system internal architecture at any given moment. The importance of this systemic way of seeing is that it explicitly attends to the organization that defines the immune system, within which it is possible to describe the conservative physiology of the immune system. Understanding immune physiology in a systemic way of seeing also suggests mechanisms underlying the origin of immunopathogeny and therefore suggests new insights to therapeutic approaches. However, if seriously acknowledged, this systemic/historic approach to immunology goes along with a global conceptual change which modifies virtually everything in the domain of biology, as suggested by Maturana. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-24e792e6fc6c40feba7a0c799068e7fa |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1740-2522 1740-2530 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2006-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Clinical and Developmental Immunology |
| spelling | doaj-art-24e792e6fc6c40feba7a0c799068e7fa2025-02-03T05:46:13ZengWileyClinical and Developmental Immunology1740-25221740-25302006-01-01132-413314210.1080/17402520600877216The Conservative Physiology of the Immune System. A Non-Metaphoric Approach to Immunological ActivityNelson M. Vaz0Gustavo C. Ramos1Vitor Pordeus2Claudia R. Carvalho3Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, ICB, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilDepartamento de Farmacologia, ICB, UFSC, Florianópolis, SC, BrazilPROCEP – Hospital Pró Cardíaco, Rio de Janeiro, Disciplina de Reumatologia, Fac Medicina, USP, São Paulo, SP, BrazilDepartamento de Morfologia, ICB, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilHistorically, immunology emerged as a biomedical science, concerned with host defense and production of anti-infectious vaccines. In the late 50s, selective theories were proposed and from then on, immunology has been based in a close association with the neo-Darwinian principles, such as random generation of variants (lymphocyte clones), selection by extrinsic factors (antigens)—and, more generally, on genetic determinism and functionalism. This association has had major consequences: (1) immunological jargon is full of “cognitive” metaphors, founded in the idea of “foreignness”; (2) the immune system is described with a random clonal origin, coupled to selection by random encounters; and (3) physiological events are virtually absent from immunological descriptions. In the present manuscript, we apply systemic notions to bring forth an explanation including systemic mechanisms able to generate immunological phenomena. We replace “randomness plus selection” and the notion of foreignness by a history of structural changes which are determined by the coherences of the system internal architecture at any given moment. The importance of this systemic way of seeing is that it explicitly attends to the organization that defines the immune system, within which it is possible to describe the conservative physiology of the immune system. Understanding immune physiology in a systemic way of seeing also suggests mechanisms underlying the origin of immunopathogeny and therefore suggests new insights to therapeutic approaches. However, if seriously acknowledged, this systemic/historic approach to immunology goes along with a global conceptual change which modifies virtually everything in the domain of biology, as suggested by Maturana.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17402520600877216 |
| spellingShingle | Nelson M. Vaz Gustavo C. Ramos Vitor Pordeus Claudia R. Carvalho The Conservative Physiology of the Immune System. A Non-Metaphoric Approach to Immunological Activity Clinical and Developmental Immunology |
| title | The Conservative Physiology of the Immune System. A Non-Metaphoric Approach to Immunological Activity |
| title_full | The Conservative Physiology of the Immune System. A Non-Metaphoric Approach to Immunological Activity |
| title_fullStr | The Conservative Physiology of the Immune System. A Non-Metaphoric Approach to Immunological Activity |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Conservative Physiology of the Immune System. A Non-Metaphoric Approach to Immunological Activity |
| title_short | The Conservative Physiology of the Immune System. A Non-Metaphoric Approach to Immunological Activity |
| title_sort | conservative physiology of the immune system a non metaphoric approach to immunological activity |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17402520600877216 |
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