[Concept of metabolic deviations].

A J Charvát

Disturbance of metabolism has to do always with systems. A change in one unit results in a flow of matter, energy or information to other units. The whole or almost the whole system participates at this chain reaction. Never a simple newtonian reaction can be encountered at this occasion, with its direct cause-effect connection. At least always the feed-back mechanism is triggered. Generally, however, multiple loops of the feed-back mechanism are activated. No strict determinism is present here. In the nature common laws for living and lifeless objects are valid. It does not matter that we cannot yet define the life in terms of classical physics. It will be necessary to construct on one side a new physical concept and on the other to introduce into our biological way of thinking also the quantum mechanics. Metabolism must be defined in terms of statistics and probability. The complex mutual interaction of individual functional levels makes it necessary to shift from the study of isolated events to the general theory of information, integration and control.