Physiology of today is the medicine of tomorrow: Is physiological science heading in the right direction?

Abstract

Sir,

The famous quote of Nobel Laureate Prof. Ernest Starling is often cited by physiologists around the world but the question is: Does physiology really matter for medicine? Physiology is, first and foremost, a science: It is concerned with how living organisms work. Ultimately, understanding how living organisms work will allow us to understand what goes wrong in disease and provides a rational scientific basis for the treatment of disease. Many medical educators today believe that physiology is no longer on the cutting edge of medicine and will not lead to any new insights into diseases. This belief is becoming so strong that we are witnessing the dismantlement of Physiology Departments in various medical schools of USA and other developed countries. Even in India, one of the heritage universities in Kolkata dismantled the Department of Physiology and was replaced by Department of Biology.

Michael J. Joyner, M.D., Professor of Anesthesiology at the Mayo Clinic in his defense to support physiology as a basic core subject in medicine has stated that decisions made by many universities in USA to close Physiology Departments within medical schools were premature. Read more...