Adaptation of the body to constantly changing environmental conditions (external and internal) is a non-stop process of adapting the body to these changes, designed to maintain homeostatic balance in it. The physiological meaning of the body's adaptation to external and internal influences lies precisely in maintaining homeostasis and, accordingly, the viability of the body in almost any conditions to which it is able to adequately respond.

Urgent adaptation occurs immediately after the onset of the action of the stimulus on the body and can be implemented only on the basis of previously formed physiological mechanisms. Examples of manifestations of urgent adaptation are: a passive increase in heat production in response to cold, an increase in heat transfer in response to heat, an increase in pulmonary ventilation and minute volume of blood circulation in response to a lack of oxygen. At this stage of adaptation, the functioning of organs and systems proceeds at the limit of the physiological capabilities of the body, with almost complete mobilization of all reserves, but without providing the most optimal adaptive effect. Thus, the running of an untrained person occurs at close to the maximum values ​​of the minute volume of the heart and pulmonary ventilation, with the maximum mobilization of the reserve of glycogen in the liver. The biochemical processes of the body, their speed, as it were, limit this motor reaction; it cannot be either fast enough or long enough.

Long-term adaptation to a long-acting stressor occurs gradually, as a result of a long-term, constant or repeated action of environmental factors on the body. The main conditions for long-term adaptation are the consistency and continuity of the impact of an extreme factor. In essence, it develops on the basis of repeated implementation of urgent adaptation and is characterized by the fact that as a result of constant quantitative accumulation of changes, the body acquires a new quality - from an unadapted one it turns into an adapted one. Such is adaptation to previously unattainable intense physical work (training), the development of resistance to significant high-altitude hypoxia, which was previously incompatible with life, the development of resistance to cold, heat, and large doses of poisons. This is the same mechanism and qualitatively more complex adaptation to the surrounding reality.

Specific adaptive mechanisms inherent in a person give him the opportunity to endure a certain range of deviations of factors from optimal values ​​without disturbing the normal functions of the body. Zones of quantitative expression of physical activity, deviating from the optimum, but not disrupting life, are defined as normal zones. There are two of them: a deviation towards a lack of dosing of physical activity and towards an excess. A further shift can reduce the effectiveness of adaptive mechanisms and even disrupt the vital activity of the organism. With an extreme lack of load or its excess, pessimum zones are distinguished. Adaptation to any factor is associated with energy costs. In the optimum zone, active mechanisms are not needed, and energy is spent on fundamental life processes, the body is in equilibrium with the environment. When the load increases and goes beyond the optimum, adequate mechanisms are activated.

General mechanisms of adaptation Mechanisms that ensure the adaptive nature of the general level of stabilization of individual functional systems (i.e., the body's oxygen consumption increases, the intensity of metabolic processes increases. This occurs at the organ level: the blood flow rate increases, blood pressure rises, the respiratory volume of the lungs increases, breathing quickens, breathing becomes deeper) and the body as a whole. General adaptive reactions of the body are non-specific, that is, the body reacts similarly in response to the actions of stimuli of different quality and strength (physical exercises).

One of the mechanisms of adaptation of the body to the environment is self-regulation - the basis of resistance (resistance) of the organism to influencing factors.

A great contribution to the study of the mechanisms of adaptation of the organism to the environment was made by P.K. Anokhin. He is the creator of the theory of functional systems. Functional system - this is a combination of processes and mechanisms, which, being formed, depending on the given conditions, leads to the effect of adaptation to these conditions. This system is created every time anew, in relation to the influencing factor, is capable of removing the body from an extreme situation in the shortest possible time, most economically and rationally.

The immune system plays an important role in the adaptation of the body. Immunity (lat. immunitas - release, getting rid of something) - the body's immunity to infectious and non-infectious agents and substances with alien antigenic properties.

Exercises immunity the immune system organism, which is a collection of lymphoid organs: central (thymus, sac of Fabricius, bone marrow, lymph follicles) and peripheral (lymph nodes, spleen and immune-component blood cells T- and B-lymphocytes), capable of recognizing foreign substances and forcing a specific immune response. There are 30-40 billion lymphocytes circulating in human blood, of which 60% are T-cells, and 40% are B-cells. The function of B-lymphocytes is the production of antibodies. With the help of T-lymphocytes, acting as assistants in antibody formation, B-lymphocytes begin to multiply and turn into plasma cells that actively produce antibodies - specific immunoglobulins, bind and neutralize the antigen as a result of the formation of an antigen-antibody complex, then this complex is destroyed by various non-specific influences and excreted from the body. A number of substances (interferon, lysozyme, properdin, B-lysine, lymphokines) produced by leukocytes and other cells of the body are also involved in providing immunity.

The formation of immune reactions begins in the embryonic period, then throughout a person's life, they carry out a number of complex protective functions, gradually weakening in old age. There are two main types of immunity. These are hereditary (congenital) and acquired (non-hereditary). Allocate innate passive immunity, which is transmitted from mother to child through the placenta. It is unstable, as the developed antibodies die quickly. However, a child under 1 year of age practically does not suffer from infectious diseases. Innate active immunity arises as a result of contact of the organism with an antigen and is not established immediately - after 1-2 weeks or later, and persists for a relatively long time - for years or tens of years.

Actively acquired immunity is immunity that is created by vaccination, i.e. administration of attenuated antigens. As a result, antibodies are produced, memory cells are formed. Upon repeated contact with this antigen, the body's resistance increases, i.e. antibodies are quickly formed, and the person does not get sick. Passively acquired immunity is immunity that is created by introducing ready-made antibodies into the body. Depending on the outcome of the infectious process, two forms of acquired immunity are distinguished - sterile and non-sterile.

Immunity can be specific and nonspecific. Specific is called immunity to a particular infection (for example, diphtheria), and non-specific - congenital or acquired resistance to a variety of pathogens. Sometimes specific immunity, actively or passively developed in relation to a certain pathogen, is simultaneously accompanied by the development of nonspecific immunity to another or other pathogens. Along with general immunity, local, tissue immunity is distinguished, meaning by this shifts in the reactivity of individual tissues that occur against the background of general immunity. These shifts are expressed to varying degrees in different tissues.

Adapting the body to change environment due to another very important factor - a large "margin of safety" of the body . The organism is arranged according to the limited limit plan and the principle of the strictest economy. For example, the heart can at any time increase the number of contractions by 2 times, and increase blood pressure by 30-40%. Arterial blood contains about 3.5 times more oxygen than is used by the tissues. Removal of 2/3 of each kidney is tolerated without serious impairment of renal function. It has been established that 1/10 of the adrenal glands is enough to save life. The margin of safety in a living organism is achieved in various ways: the reserve capabilities of the body, changes in metabolism, the inclusion of other body systems, changes in the structure of the cell (hypertrophy, regeneration). In the course of evolution, the economical and beneficial use of energy and matter was improved. The principle of paired organs, the principle of duplication of functions, the detoxic function of the liver, the principle of consistency and self-regulation underlie the adaptation of the body to environmental factors.

An important role in the mechanisms of adaptation is also played by the general adaptation syndrome, the so-called stress response and biological rhythms .

It should be noted that any protective and adaptive organization is a relative concept. The operating factor may make demands above the limit of human adaptive capabilities. The discrepancy between the adaptive capabilities of a person to the influence of factors external environment can be quantitative, when the intensity of exposure is above the permissible limit, or qualitative. For example, the adaptation of the cardiovascular system to hypoxia is manifested in an increase in the minute volume of blood, an increase in blood pressure and heart rate, redistribution of blood and oxygen flow to the heart, and the release of erythrocytes from the depot.

Adaptation- this is a dynamic process due to which the mobile systems of living organisms, despite the variability of conditions, maintain the stability necessary for the existence, development and procreation. It is the mechanism of adaptation, developed as a result of long-term evolution, that ensures the possibility of the existence of an organism in constantly changing environmental conditions.

Since the organism and the environment are not in a static, but in a dynamic (mobile) balance, their ratios are constantly changing, and therefore, the process of adaptation must also be constantly carried out.

The maximum possible satisfaction of actual needs is an important criterion for the effectiveness of the adaptation process. Consequently, mental adaptation can be defined as the process of establishing an optimal match between the individual and the environment.

occupies an important place in human activity social adaptation. Social adaptation is the process of effective interaction of the individual with the social environment.

Domestic psychologist M. I. Bobneva identified the following social adaptation mechanisms:

Social imagination - the ability to understand one's own experience and determine one's destiny, mentally placing oneself within the real framework of a given period in the development of society, and to realize one's possibilities;

Social intelligence - the ability to perceive and capture false relationships and dependencies in the social environment;

Realistic orientation of consciousness;

False orientation.

Researchers also note the role stimulating mental states in the adaptive process. For example, for efficiency labor activity professional interest is needed (the coach wants the athlete to become a champion, the fashion designer wants his clothes to please the eye, the doctor wants the prescribed treatment to help the patient, etc.).

If the presence of external and / or internal barriers is felt, adaptation is carried out using protective mechanisms. Let's consider each of them.

Negation- its essence is ignoring traumatic information.

Regression- a return to earlier (infantile) forms of behavior (“fall into childhood”) or the use of more simple and familiar stereotyped actions.

Reaction formation- replacement of unacceptable impulses, emotional states with opposite ones (aggressiveness is replaced by softness).

crowding out- unconscious suppression of a negative mental state by eliminating it from consciousness and transferring it to the unconscious (a person, as it were, "forgets" the bad).

suppression- elimination of painful events on the basis of consciousness (avoidance of negative information).

substitution- a change in the object that caused a negative mental state, or a replacement of a need (a husband who receives reprimands from his boss takes out his anger on his wife).

Projection- selection and localization in another person or object of qualities, feelings, desires, i.e. "internal objects" that the subject does not recognize or denies in himself ("In someone else's eye you will notice a mote, in your own you will not notice a beam").

Identification- identification of oneself with a real or fictional character in order to attribute to oneself the desired qualities and properties (fanaticism, idol worship, etc.).

Rationalization- overcoming negative mental states by justifying certain actions, interpreting events in order to reduce their traumatic impact on a person.

Sublimation- transformation of the energy of instinctive drives (sexual, aggressive) into socially acceptable ways of activity (invention, artistic creativity, professional activity).

The term " adaptation" means adaptation. This is a fundamental property of a living organism, which ensures its continuous adaptation to changing environmental conditions. The value of adaptation is most clearly manifested when the body is damaged. In contrast to a healthy one, a damaged organism 1) is forced to adapt to new conditions of existence for it, tk. ordinary environmental conditions become inadequate for him and he cannot avoid them. 2) in response to damage, such adaptive mechanisms as inflammation, fever, thrombosis, etc. are activated. Being essentially pathological processes, in the absence of medical measures they are the only natural process, which can prevent the death of the organism. In a healthy person, there are no conditions for the inclusion of these adaptive processes. 3) in the process of adaptation to damage, the main parameters of homeostasis can also change with the development of other new constants, sometimes incompatible with the life of a healthy person, such as in chronic diseases. (Example: acute and chronic hypoxia). This adaptation is formed on the basis of geno- and phenotypic adaptation, and for a person it is also social. Genotypic adaptation requires the emergence of new genetic information through mutations or recombinations of genes. She, i.e. genotypic adaptation has become the basis of evolution, because its achievements are fixed genetically and are inherited. It is as a result of adaptation to changing environmental conditions based on heredity, mutations and natural selection the modern variety of animals and plants arose. Therefore, the organism and the environment - it is one whole. For an organism that exists in adequate environmental conditions, there is no need for adaptation, since it has already been adapted to these conditions by its genetic program (genotypic adaptation) or the creation of special conditions that exclude the need for adaptation.

Secondly, in the process of individual life, a person is exposed to various disturbing inadequate influences that can disrupt the normal functioning of the organism and the very genetic program of the individual. In order to limit the framework of the life activity of adequate conditions from the processes of life activity in inadequate ones, it is necessary to clarify what should be understood as adequate environmental conditions.

Then the environmental conditions that do not correspond to the geno-phenotypic properties of the organism at the moment are inadequate. It should be emphasized that it was precisely at the present moment of its existence, since for example, depending on age, people tolerate the effects of heat and cold differently (a newborn and an old man). Those. when assessing the adequacy or inadequacy of conditions, it is necessary to take into account such a property of the organism as reactivity. It should also be noted that inadequacy is a relative concept and can only be applied to a specific individual, in certain cases, to a population or species.

For example, a person does not have a gene (or its function is reduced) responsible for the synthesis of a product necessary for the life of the organism. This can lead to a violation of homeostasis and the development of a hereditary disease. But if this product is supplied in sufficient quantities from the external environment, the disease does not occur. Those. in the first case, the environmental conditions will be inadequate for a given individual, and in the second, they will be adequate. (Example with non-essential and non-essential amino acids, in the absence of an enzyme involved in the synthesis of an amino acid, it becomes irreplaceable). This example is given in order to emphasize that inadequate conditions can arise not only when a new factor appears in the environment (the organism is not adapted to a new one) or as a result of an excessive strengthening of existing ones, but also as a result of the absence of a factor necessary for the implementation of vital processes. . (Another example: reducing the concentration of O 2). In these definitions, along with innate properties determined by the genotype, the term acquired also appears, i.e. phenotypic properties of the organism.

It is well known that in the process of life, under the influence of different kind training, the body can acquire previously absent resistance to a certain factor or environmental factors, i.e. a previously inadequate factor becomes adequate for a given organism. This new property of the organism is a manifestation of phenotypic individual adaptation, which can be defined as a process developing in the course of individual life, as a result of which the organism acquires previously absent resistance to a certain environmental factor. This increase in resistance is acquired in the process of interaction of the individual with the environment, and the genotype becomes the starting point for its formation. The foregoing can be confirmed by the results of experimental studies.

Thus, it has been shown that a single 6-hour swimming of untrained animals causes damage to the muscle cells of the heart, namely: swelling of mitochondria, destruction of their cristae, edema of the sarcoplasm, destruction of the sarcolemmal membrane in places, and swelling of the SR segments. In animals that were trained in swimming for 3-months, subsequently the same intensity 6-hour swimming load no longer caused damage in myocardial cells. Introduction to animals of the 3rd group of non-toxic doses of actinomycin, an antibiotic that, by attaching to the guanyl nucleotides of DNA, makes transcription impossible, i.e. makes it impossible for the genetic apparatus to respond to these influences, and excluded the possibility of the formation of increased resistance to physical activity.

Thus, in contrast to genotypic adaptation, phenotypic adaptation does not provide for a pre-formed hereditary adaptive reaction, but the possibility of its formation under the influence of the environment. This property is not inherited. Common for both genotypic and phenotypic adaptation is the acquisition of a new quality by the body. This new quality is manifested primarily in the fact that the organism cannot be damaged by the factor to which adaptation has been acquired, i.e. adaptive reactions are essentially reactions that prevent damage to the body, they form the basis of natural disease prevention, so the study of these processes is very important for medicine.

The centuries-old experience of clinical medicine cannot give an idea of ​​the real possibilities of these reactions, since it is based almost exclusively on the study of human diseases, i.e. those cases when the body's defenses were in one way or another untenable and "showed" themselves from the negative side. In other words, we know very well how many times we got sick and have no idea how often a life-threatening set of circumstances was created when we could get sick, but this did not happen.

When the body is damaged, i.e. in case of illness, a persistent violation of homeostasis occurs, resulting in a change in the relationship of the patient with the external environment. As a result, previously adequate factors of this environment become inadequate for the damaged organism. For example, when the heart muscle is damaged, the body's ability to exercise is sharply reduced and ordinary physical activity becomes excessively inadequate.

In the course of the development of the disease, the body is forced to adapt to new conditions of existence for it by changing the level of functioning of individual systems and the corresponding tension of regulatory mechanisms.

Thus, the vital activity of both a sick and a healthy organism in inadequate environmental conditions requires the inclusion of additional adaptive mechanisms, i.e. adaptation.

These mechanisms can be directed: 1. To maintain the basic constants of the body, which determine the constancy of its internal environment (gases, blood composition, acid-base balance, electrolyte composition, etc.). 2. To maintain homeostasis as a result of the inclusion of adaptive mechanisms aimed at eliminating or limiting the action of damaging factors. These reactions may be local or general. (Avoiding contact, inflammation or fever). 3. Changes in homeostasis, leading to an increase in the body's resistance to damage or the preservation of optimal forms of interaction between the body and the environment in case of damage. (Example: the production of red blood cells in high altitude conditions, acquired immunity after an illness, hypertrophy of an organ in response to damage).

Thus, adaptation is the process of maintaining the functional state of homeostatic systems and the organism as a whole, ensuring its preservation and vital activity in specific inadequate environmental conditions.

Stages of adaptation.
Immediate and long-term adaptation.

In the development of adaptive reactions, as a rule, two stages can be traced: the stage of urgent, but imperfect adaptation and the subsequent stage of stable and more perfect long-term adaptation.

Urgent stage of adaptation.

The urgent stage of the adaptive reaction occurs immediately after the onset of the action of an inadequate factor (stimulus) and is realized only on the basis of ready-made, i.e. existing physiological mechanisms. Manifestations of urgent adaptation are an increase in heat production in response to cold, an increase in heat transfer in response to heat, an increase in pulmonary ventilation and cardiac output in response to hypoxia, etc.

The most important feature of this stage of adaptation is that the activity of the organism proceeds, as a rule, at the limit of its functional capabilities - with the full mobilization of the functional reserve and does not always provide the necessary adaptive effect. It should be borne in mind that the maximum stress of adaptive reactions of certain physiological systems in itself can lead to serious disturbances in other systems. For example, in shock and a sharp drop in blood pressure, there is a pronounced excitation of the sympathetic-adrenal system and a significant increase in catecholamines in the blood. This leads to a sharp narrowing of the peripheral vessels, the opening of arteriovenous anastomoses, and the expansion of the vessels of the brain and heart. There is a so-called. the phenomenon of centralization of blood circulation, which provides a preferential supply of blood to the brain and heart, i.e. has an urgent adaptive value, but the inclusion of this reaction is accompanied by a sharp restriction of blood flow in other organs and, in particular, in the kidneys, as a result, it can cause acute renal failure. Thus, urgent adaptation either provides a quick way out of contact with the environmental factor, or, being untenable, can aggravate damage to the body as a result of a wasteful waste of energy reserves. Example: the duration of dying and the success of resuscitation are very often inversely related, i.e. the longer this period, the more actively the patient struggles with death, the shorter the period of clinical death, the less chance of successful resuscitation (an example of cardioplegia).

Long-term stage of adaptation.

The long-term stage of adaptation occurs as a result of prolonged or repeated action of inadequate environmental factors on the body, i.e. it develops on the basis of repeated implementation of urgent adaptation and is characterized by the fact that, as a result, the organism acquires a new quality - from an unadapted one it turns into an adapted one.

Stages of formation of long-term adaptation

There are three stages in the formation of long-term adaptation:

The first stage is the formation of compensation or the stage of transition from urgent adaptation to long-term adaptation. The formation of this stage is based on the triad: 1) dysfunction caused by a change in homeostasis in the damaged organism; 2) activation of systems specifically responsible for the elimination of the resulting functional defect; 3) pronounced activation of the adrenergic and pituitary-adrenal systems, which are nonspecifically activated in case of any damage to the body, i.e. stress syndrome.

As a result of metabolic changes in the cells of the corresponding organs, with the potentiating participation of stress hormones (adrenaline, norepinephrine, etc.), an increase in the synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins that form key cell structures (for example, mitochondrial proteins, contractile proteins, etc.) occurs. This is manifested by hypertrophy or hyperplasia of the cells of these organs and ultimately leads to an increase in the power of the systems responsible for adaptation. You can read more about the role of stress in adaptation processes and its role in pathology in the “General Part” method manual (p. 27—).

The second stage is the stage of formed long-term adaptation. At this stage, the structure of the organ comes into line with its function, which leads to the elimination of homeostasis disorders and, as a result, the stress reaction that has become excessive disappears. This stage can last for years, maintaining optimal vital activity of the organism under the given conditions.

It is well known from the practice of sports and aviation medicine that people with such diagnoses as the initial forms of atherosclerosis, compensated heart defects, peptic ulcer, etc. not only actively participated in hard work, but also often achieved outstanding success. Those. these individuals, despite the presence of diseases, were in a state of satisfactory adaptation to environmental conditions.

A very important fact was established—the presence of a non-cross protective effect of long-term adaptation, i.e. when adaptation to the action of a certain factor increases resistance, i.e. the body's resistance to the damaging effects of completely different factors. For example, adaptation to physical stress increases resistance to hypoxia, inhibits the development of atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes, and increases resistance to radiation damage.

This effect can also manifest itself against the background of an already existing disease. So, in our laboratory, a pronounced therapeutic effect of physical activity on the development of the acute phase of adjuvant arthritis in rats was established.

At the heart of the phenomenon of cross-adaptation, as shown by the works of F.Z. Meyerson lies the activation of the so-called stress-limiting systems and the phenomenon of adaptive stabilization of structures (FASS).

It has been established that in the FASS molecular mechanisms an important role is played by the expression of certain genes and, as a result, the accumulation in special cells, the so-called. "stress proteins" that prevent protein denaturation (which is why they are also called heat shock proteins) and thus protect cellular structures from damage.

The third stage - the stage of decompensation and reduction of the adaptive capacity of the body is not mandatory and is characterized by the development of atrophic and dystrophic changes in the cells of the system responsible for adaptation.

The transition to this stage can be facilitated by a decrease in the energy and plastic resources of the body. The least favorable situation in this regard is in the damaged organism. So in the presence of a defect, the heart is forced to constantly work in a mode of increased functional load, which leads to its hypertrophy. If the defect progresses, then a further increase in the load on the myocardium is accompanied by atrophy of cardiomyocytes with the development of cardiosclerosis. As a result, the decrease in functionally active structures leads to the development of a vicious circle: the less complete the functional system responsible for adaptation, the greater the load on it, the faster it wears out. The transition to this stage can also be facilitated by the emergence of a new disease or a sharp change in environmental conditions, when the body switches to fighting it or adapting to new environmental conditions by activating other previously unused systems. At the same time, the function of these new systems may be insufficient, which will contribute to the protracted course of the disease. The fact is that in the process of adaptation, an increase in the functional activity of one system leads to a decrease in functional and structural reserves in other organs that are not involved in the adaptation processes.

So, for example, in the experiment it was found that during training for physical activity in young, growing animals, instead of the usual hypertrophy of the muscle cells of the heart, their division occurs - hyperplasia and the total number of cardiomyocytes increases by 30%, i.e. the structural reserve of the organ increases.

At the same time, opposite changes are observed in the kidneys, adrenal glands and liver. So, the number of nephrons in the kidneys decreased by 25%, and the number of cells in the adrenal glands and liver by 20-%. Obviously, the structural reserve of these organs is declining.

It is well known that the process of physical development of the child is suspended in severe illness. Consequently, the development of the disease is accompanied by a one-sided waste of structural reserves directed to the fight against it, and the plastic supply of other tissues is reduced.

A decrease in the structural reserve of organs reduces the adaptive capacity of the body, which leads to a limitation of the full life of a person and contributes to the growth of chronic diseases. Hence a simple practical conclusion: the earlier the disease is diagnosed and eliminated, the lower the price of adaptation, the more complete a person's life will be in the future.

It is also known that successful adaptation to certain environmental factors reduces resistance (resistance) to the damaging effects of other factors. For example: a hypertrophied myocardium is less resistant to the action of hypoxia, in a heterozygous carrier of the S-form of hemoglobin with an O 2 deficiency in the environment, hemolysis of erythrocytes occurs.

On the other hand, the inclusion of adaptive mechanisms prevents the appearance of clinical symptoms of the disease. A person can live and consider himself healthy, despite the presence of an illness (sometimes very severe), because. before the appearance of its first signs, no one, including the patient himself, even suspects this (J. Priestley: “Being healthy and feeling healthy is far from the same thing). In such situations, the inclusion of adaptive mechanisms, sharply impoverishing and "obscuring" the clinical picture of the disease, becomes the main obstacle to the early diagnosis of diseases - the basic principle on which the system of modern clinical medicine is built.

To the question: “Is there a way out of this contradiction?” One can answer positively: “They are prevention, which prevents the very onset of the disease.”

Even 400 years ago, the average life expectancy of a person did not exceed 30 years. At the beginning of the 20th century, the average life expectancy did not reach 50 years, while starting from the second half of our century, this indicator in developed countries exceeded the 70-year mark. It is obvious that so rapid increase life expectancy could not be associated with a change biological properties organism, i.e. with its genotypic adaptation.

Epidemic control, advances in the treatment of most infectious diseases, and improved nutrition have played a critical role in these shifts.

Unlike an animal, a person not only adapts to the environment, but also transforms it, creating an artificial habitat. People, as social beings, have invented many adaptations for life in inadequate environmental conditions and got the opportunity to live in conditions that were previously incompatible with life. (In space, in the depths of the ocean, in vacuum, etc.).

On the other hand, in the process of adaptation to the conditions of scientific and technological progress, special diseases peculiar only to humans have arisen, which are almost never found in natural conditions in other mammals (myocardial infarction, hypertension, peptic ulcer, bronchial asthma, radiation sickness and a large group of occupational diseases). ).

Social adaptation.

The defining function of a person in society is his social and labor activity. For a particular person, the opportunity for it is realized in the process of training and labor specialization. The adaptation of the human body to the performance of certain types of labor activity is the content of its social adaptation.

The occurrence of a disease significantly limits the possibilities for social adaptation, therefore, disease prevention is not only a medical problem, but also a national one. That is, the main goal public policy should be the preservation and maintenance of health.

Health is not only the absence of any pathology. but also the ability of the organism to successfully adapt to changing environmental conditions, including social ones.

The existence of a person outside of society is an extreme condition for him. Only a socially adapted person can survive outside of society (for example, Robinson). A child, if he lived outside the society of people, for example, in a pack of wolves, loses the ability to social adaptation. Kipling's story about Mowgli is only beautiful legend. In 1947, in India, in a pack of wolves, two girls were found - Amala (2 years old) and Kamala (7 years old). After returning to people, they were not even able to exercise such elementary skills as upright walking and using their hands to eat.

It has been proven that the ceiling of a person's creative and intellectual capabilities is set at the age of 15 years, and 70% of it is laid in the first two years. Further, a teenager can be placed in the best boarding school, assigned the best teachers, and still his creative potential will remain the same.

Interest in studying the mechanisms of adaptation is constantly growing. This is due to: 1. With the development of scientific and technological progress, the development by a person of new types of labor activity, for which he turned out to be unprepared by the program of his biological development (examples: work in conditions of weightlessness, radiation, gravitational overloads, etc.). 2. With the expansion of the area of ​​life (example: the development of arid zones). 3. With the deterioration of the ecological situation of the environment. 4. With the successes of medicine, which led to the survival among people of such individuals who would never have survived outside the artificial environment created by civilization and scientific and technological progress.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that damage and adaptation are two principles that determine the characteristics of the patient's life, i.e. damaged organism, leading to a change in biological and a decrease in social adaptation.