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Timing Life Processes 1st International Conference on Advancements of Medicine and Health Care through Technology, MediTech2007, 27-29th September, 2007, Cluj-Napoca, ROMANIA Timing Life Processes Dana Baran Abstract — Natural clocks such as planet movements and biological timekeeping gears inspired artificial timers including water clocks, sandglasses, mechanical, electric and finally electronic systems. Contemporary medicine and biology reconsiders temporal morphogenetic and functional patterns interpreting life processes as highly sophisticated clockworks, liable to mathematical modelling and quantification. Chronobiology and chronomedicine opened a vast theoretical and applicative field of interest. Keywords: chronobiology, temporal monitoring devices, biological clock, mathematical modelling. 1. INTRODUCTION exogenous synchronizers periodically adjust to the cosmic time. [2] At the very beginning, breathing and heart rate, Throughout the centuries the perspective on biological pulse frequency, menstrual cycles and vital forces were phenomena temporal dimension, i.e. on their dynamic perceived as led by rhythmic vibrations of the stars, the sun structure and function, followed several synchronic and and the moon. Nature exhibited both clocks and calendars! diachronic patterns, possibly defined as astromy Now living beings are usually forced to disrupt their innate thological, cosmobiological, mechanistic, physico- biorhythms and adapt to man-made temporal cues imposed chemical, statistico-mathematical, physiological, psy by shift work, jet travel, abundance of vegetables and chological or philosophical insights. [1] After 1950, animal products, irrespective of time of day or season, in scientists started to elaborate a coherently integrated vitro fertilization, cloning and genetic manipulation which multidisciplinary and even transdisciplinary approach to equally play with biological time and social destinies. biological rhythms. Largely known as chronobiology, it lately generated a medical subdivision: chronomedicine. 3. ASTROMYTHOLOGY [2, 3] Cyclic behavior estimation of living things tightly relies now on modern theories, technical progress and Primeval medicine interpreted life course in terms of accurate data processing: so chronomedicine is no astrology and astronomy, intermingled with mythological exception from evidence-based disciplines! symbols. The sun, the moon and other planets were gods and goddesses, turning around in interdependent rings, 2. ENVIRONMENTAL CLOCKWORKS causing and predicting differentiated bioreactivity, 2.1. The Cosmic Clock Paradigm robustness and illness, birth and death, flourishing and degeneration. Rhythms began to correlate with numbers The whole universe resembles a clock-like device, imagined – and ratios, as in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, but as Voltaire put it in the XVIII-th century - by a genial in pre-Columbian Mexico, too. [5, 6] By their lives, clockmaker god. The star clocks, the sundial, the moon, the divinities regularly controlled recurrent cosmic processes. planets, the plants and animals observe interfering quasi- constant periods and mark their completion by specific events. 4. COSMOBIOLOGY Such phenomena undoubtedly led to the invention of imitative time-machines with wheels, teeth and striking trains, evolving Biological reality was plotted against a cosmic from the shadow pole stuck in the ground, to the atomic clock background. Its evolution or timed becoming, referred to as telling the hour with one second error in 3000 years. Maybe vital energy dynamics, manifested in keeping with both surprisingly, today, chronobiologists still debate on day-night cycles and seasonal rhythms. Ancient China chronoastrobiology, a chronobiological branch dealing with considered that interchangeable yin-yang energetic balance chronomics, i.e. time structures, in its relation to cosmos and periodically oscillated according to macrocosmic- biosphere. [4] Meteoropathology is included, along with the microcosmic interpenetration rules. [5, 6] Consequently, recurrent health impact of geo- or/and helio- magnetic field human pulse frequency based diagnosis and prognosis of disturbances, in a more encompassing and traditional view. disease expressed a complex philosophy of cosmoenergetic medicine and so did the twelve meridians crossing the 2.2. Living Beings as Adaptive Biological Clocks body and bearing 365 acupunctural points along them. Even when anthropomorphic deities were lacking, golden Living creatures, – chronogenetically determined numbers, proportions and ratios played key-roles. biological clocks, - represent time-keeping self-controlled or anti-entropic feed-back looped entities, which 5. NUMBERS GOVERN THE WORLD For Pythagoras and Plato, arithmetic, geometry and music Dana Baran is with the Faculty of Medical Bioengineering, ”Gr. T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iaşi, belonged together, the supreme divinity was the number Romania, phone: +40-232-213-573; fax: +40-232-213-573; e-mail: itself able to “rule over the Universe”. Health derived from [email protected] ideal mathematical laws, governing the incessant fight 465 1st International Conference on Advancements of Medicine and Health Care through Technology, MediTech2007, 27-29th September, 2007, Cluj-Napoca, ROMANIA opposing good and evil. [5, 6] According to Philolaos of Giovanni da Dondi (1318-1389), professor of astronomy, Crotona (V-th century BC), health resulted from the logic and medicine at Padua and of medicine at Florence cosmic harmony he called “eurhythmics”. Hippocrates Universities, technically featured an astronomical clock himself, in the same golden age of the V-th century BC, containing an escapement composed of a band-saw crown believed in the significance of critical days for anticipating wheel and a verge. [8] By and by, scientists detached the disease course and applying more efficient timed from the occult magical background of the Renaissance, therapies. He also recognised chronopathological aspects: humanists turned to encyclopedists, and mechanistic diurnal or nocturnal incidence of acute episodes, seasonal philosophers substituted both wizards and alchemists.[9] occurrence of certain diseases. Galen (II-nd century AD) instead had often recourse to astrological medicine. [5, 6] 7.2. The Turning Point Geto-Dacians equally set up a solar calendar as illustrated by their circular temples, indicating propitious and The magical mechanistic genius of the Renaissance unpropitious moments. [1, 6] No wonder Zalmoxis was anticipated robotics, prepared bionics and seeded the germs considered Pythagoras` apprentice and Dacian priests the of prosthetics, performing public miracles and beneficiaries of ancient Egyptian wisdom. [6] thaumaturgical exploits. [1]This marked the turning point of iatrophysics and iatromechanics, whereas iatrochemistry 6. MEDIEVAL TIMING PATTERNS redimensionated alchemy, phytotherapy, mineralogy and 6.1. Christian Salvation Time animal organ extracts for more efficient therapeutic blends, often administered according to “chrono-optimized” In medieval Europe, learning mainly emanated from treatment schedules. Nevertheless, as yet, physicians did religious institutions which were particularly concerned not abandon their zodiac books since astrological medicine with strict timekeeping. Saint Augustin, Dionysius maintained its high profile. Paracelsus (1493-1541), the Exiguus, - a Danubian Scythian by birth-, venerable Beda symbol of iatrochemistry, was such an emblematic or Alcuin were among the early most famous personality. Besides, he kept on being a successful contributors. [7] Not only were new calendars conceived, alchemist. [5, 6, 9] Throughout the XVI-th century, but canonical hours, prayers, lauds and vespers ordered mechanical clocks became quite common and in the XVII- monastic life that directly conveyed sacred rhythms to th century the pendulum was invented. Subsequently, a profane destinies, - “in season and out of season”, more adequate quantification of time-related bioreactivity reflecting and emphasizing God`s messages. The church and interrelationships with the surrounding Universe was clock struck the cosmic hour on Earth. Real and false enabled. Heart rate and wrist pulse constituted reference clocks were present, for instance in Malta, in every place, oscillators Galilei (1564-1642) used to consult in Pisa aimed at getting rid of devil`s sinister impact upon cathedral for evaluating the candelabrum-pendulum humans. Christ and the Holy Virgin metaphorically periodic oscillations. Santorio (1561-1636), professor of personified the sun and the moon, respectively. physiology at Padua, measured the radial pulse with his famous “pulsilogium”, -a pendulum-based instrument-, 6.2. Islamic Middle-Ages that preceded the sphygmometer. [5, 6] The pulsilogium could adapt to heart rate movements by the adjustment of Arabs and Persians valorised and further amplified its strings. The same was true with Lodovico Zacconi Greek, Roman and Byzantine knowledge, making time (1533-1627), an Augustinian friar and musician in Venice pieces and astrolabes on solid astronomical ground. The and Munich, who controlled the tempo of his concerts by astrolabe dial consisted of a movable sky map rotated to the cadence of his gate (“andante” in Italian language show where stars were at every time of day and year. [7] means “walking’) he believed to be induced by the heart The time of prayers was capital and religiously observed. rate: “the heart, he ascertains, reveals what is rapid and God
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