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BOOK REVIEWS Stress without Dhtress. By Hans Selye. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Co., 1974. Pp. 171. $6.95. The author is one of the most original medical scientists of all time. He has thought boldly about the problems of disease. His earlier unified concept of the origin of disease is no longer in fashion, but his principal laboratory findings have stood the test of time, and, even if one strips away all of his hypotheses that have required modification, there remain important insights into physiology from his prolific experimental research. In this little book Hans Selye presents his personal philosophy of life. It is an attempt to derive moral guidelines from biological principles. He regards the functions of individual cells, aggregates of cells, lower organisms, and of man as primarily concerned with self-preservation and self-development. Man cannot, therefore, says Selye, love his neighbor as himself. All higher forms of life have learned that cooperation is a necessary means to the survival and development of self. Man should be guided by altruistic egotism as a means to self-preservation and self-fulfillment, that is, "Earn your neighbor's love." Selye reviews his research on stress and adaptation to stress and recognizes that many forms of stress are inherent in the struggle to live and develop. Examples are gainful work, exercise, sexual activities, etc. Other less wholesome forms of stress are caused by injury, disease, and frustration. These are likely to be pathogenic. Selye believes that most of us are able to control our goals and behavior and should seek healthful forms of stress while avoiding those likely to lead to distress. This reviewer is in sympathy with efforts to base ethics upon natural principles . It seems plausible that, if our knowledge of life process were complete, it should be possible to establish valid and enduring guides to conduct. But is man's psychological and social nature analogous to that of cells and groups of cells? Have not men judged by history to be evil won the love of their followers during their lifetime? Have not some men who were generally despised in their time made great contributions to civilization? Most societies accept and cherish martyrdom in individuals. Should not a scheme of ethics embrace forms of self-sacrifice for individuals who choose it? This heuristic book deserves to be widely read, although Selye himself admits that knowledge of living things is still too scanty to serve as a factual basis for ethical principles. DwightJ. Ingle Professor Emeritus University of Chicago Perspectives in Biology and Medicine ยท Spring 1975 | 427 ...

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