Going back to basics: Homeostasis
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As I develop a new body of work around chronic inflammation, I’ve been going back to a lot of the basics, including to the history of homeostasis. As a result, I’m currently reading the biographies and key works of Walter Cannon, Claude Bernard, and their families. There are surprisingly many books on the list.
Cannon is credited with coining the term ‘homeostasis’. Bernard is acknowledged as developing the concept of homeostasis, and perhaps even more significantly, the scientific method of observation-hypothesis-experimentation.
Threads from this work connects with my other research areas; Cannon later worked with Arturo Rosenbleuth, who went on to work with Norbert Wiener in developing and naming the field of cybernetics. The concept of homeostasis sits at the heart of cybernetics.
Heading back to the basics can be revealing for all sorts of reasons: I’m expecting some of my own assumptions to be up-ended, as much as I’m hoping it will also help me to frame some new ways into thinking about chronic inflammation.
