Physiological Cybernetics: An Old-Novel Approach for Students in Biomedical Systems

Wiener in a seminal book (Wiener, 1948) associated the ancient Greek word ‘┢┭βe┩┥η┬┡┢ο┪’ to the control of physiological systems. “Thus, as far back as four years ago, the group of scientists about Dr. Rosenblueth and myself had already become aware of the essential unity of the set of problems centering about communication, control and statistical mechanics, whether in the machine or in the living tissue. [...] We have decided to call the entire field [...] by the name Cybernetics, which we form from the Greek ┢┭βe┩┥η┬η┪ or steersman. In choosing this term, we wish to recognize that the first significant paper on feed-back mechanisms is an article on governors, which was published by Clerk Maxwell in 1868 and that governor is derived from a Latin corruption of ┢┭βe┩┥η┬η┪. We also wish to refer to the fact that the steering engines of a ship are indeed one of the earliest and best developed forms of feed-back mechanisms.”