Stress and the General Adaptation Syndrome

Abstract

With the concept of the general adaptation syndrome we have attempted to integrate a number of seemingly quite unrelated observations into a single unified biologic system. I would draw attention briefly to the work of Claude Bernard, who showed how important it is to maintain the constancy of the "milieu interieur" ; Cannon's concept of " homoeostasis "; Frank Hartmann's " general tissue hor- mone" theory of the corticoids; Dustin's observations on the " caryoclastic poisons," the " post-operative disease," the curative action of fever, foreign proteins, and of other " non-specific therapeutic agents "; the " nephrotoxic sera " of Masugi; and to the " Goldblatt clamp" for the production of experimental renal hypertension.