Biological Economy is the new medical science which applies Economy, science of organization, to biology, science of life.
This new medical science had its origin in the intuition of the scientific researcher Dr. Fernando Santarelli. Having graduated both in economics and medicine, he became conscious of the gaps still existing today for the research of a deeper and more fruitful knowledge of the human organism. The new science of biological Economy is in a position to close these gaps, as it is based on new principles and scientific laws, and thus permits a broader view on biological phenomena.
Until now, in fact, knowledge of the human organism in the medical field was based on the scientific principles and laws of "biological Chemistry" - which is founded on traditional general Chemistry - and those of Physiology, which in turn are based on principles and laws of Physics, and explain the functional mechanism of the various organs.
Biological Economy, on the contrary, examines the human organism in the light of new "principles" and "economic laws" which so far have not been considered, clarifies the organizational aspect programmatic and organizational function of the DNA and its relative variations. For this reason, it may be assumed that biological Economy is the science which is best suitable for the study of the organism.
In conclusion, Nature expresses itself in the human organism through a phenomenic realty which, beyond being "physical" and "chemical", also presents an economical aspect, considered implicit until now, but which it is extremely advisable to examine explicitly, because of the remarkable contribution it can give for a better and more complete knowledge of biological phenomena, e.g., in particular the involutional phenomenon of ageing.
The programmatic and organizational function of the DNA
Starting from the DNA - which, from the point of view of biological Economy, represents the "programmatic" and "organizational" factor of the organism, and its destiny - the temporal evolution of the organism through the phases of youth, maturity and old age is clarified. Old age, however may be validly combated, thanks to a new research Method, which applies the principles and laws of Economy indicated below. This is the "Global Method" of research, as it starts from the DNA, and permits investigation of all possible causes of ageing not considered until now, by applying the economic principle of the "maximum result". In fact, economy, science of organization, is based on certain "principles" and "economic laws", the application of which allows to reach certain scientific purposes, and at the same time, clarify and explain the economic aspect of the phenomena under investigation.
In order to put even more in light the particular "utility", and the field of application of biological Economy, it should be pointed out that this new scientific branch can clarify fundamental organizational aspects of "static" and "dynamic" biological phenomena, and this is true, of course, also for the organizational variations which appear during the change from a condition of biological normality into a pathological state. As for biological phenomena of dynamic nature, which have the characteristic of temporal variability, biological Economy can offer its particular contribution by showing possible causes and ways through which variations take place, as precisely is the case of the evolutional period of "juvenile" growth, followed by the arrest of growth and consequent, more or less accentuated, "involution" of psycho-physical faculties, which characterizes ageing.
Economic principles
Of fundamental importance is the principle of the "maximum result", which may be reached by means of a certain "means" available, or else, the principle of the "minimum means", if the "object" is known. This principle is briefly enunciated as the principle of the "maximum result", or of the "minimum means", as it is always necessary to know a certain starting-date. This may be represented by the means by which one attempts to obtain the maximum result; or it will be the object to be reached with the minimum engagement of force. The importance of this principle may be easily evaluated considering the practical behavior of the "rational" individual, who will instinctively apply it during his daily activity, in order to avoid wasting his energy.
In order to explain and reach organizational objects, the principles of "work division and specialization", and of "inter-dependence and cooperation" are very important, too. All these principles find their utmost application in the human organism. As is well known, in the human organism, a particular distinction of numerous "organs" takes place; each of these organs carries out an activity concerning a "specialized" function, while co-ordinating harmoniously, and cooperating by "inter-dependence" with all the other organs, thus giving origin the wonderful unity and highest efficiency of the human organism.
Economic laws
Having considered the above economical principles, never evidenced in the medical field until today, the "economic laws" of "supply" and "demand" are also of great biological importance. These laws regulate the vital activity of every organ, as well as the activity of the organism as a unity.
It may be sufficient to point out the necessity of their balance, as an important index of efficiency of the different organs. This efficiency is lost when a higher "demand" of a certain biological performance does not meet with a sufficient "supply", but also when a higher "supply" does not encounter a sufficient "demand".
An example for this is the propulsory acticity, the "supply", of the heart, which "demands" a sufficiently high flux of blood, failing which, the result would be the classical "heart decompensation".
As the above principles and laws of biological Economy have been substantially ignored by traditional Science, until now, it has been necessary to enumerate them here. For its research on the human organism, traditional science is based prevailingly on Physiology - which explains the functioning of organs, and whose principles and laws are those of Physics - as well as on biological Chemistry, which is based, in turn, on general Chemistry ed clarifies the structure and chemical transformations of the different organs.
DNA and application of economical principles
It must be observed that these principles are strictly observed also at the level of all tissues, cells, chromosomes, as well as by the DNA and therefore, by the "genes", with their important distinction in "structural", "regulating" and "repressing" genes.
Within the organisational context, moreover, it is important to value the contribution of each constituting element. This can be obtained by means of the fundamental principle of "efficiency", which reveals its full importance considering that it can be applied to one single, or to several organs, but also to the organism in its structural complex: on the other hand, the principle of efficiency can also be applied to the organism considered during its temporal "evolution", and allows to measure its variations. This is certainly of fundamental importance for the valuation of the concrete efficiency of certain therapeutic interventions against the effects of ageing.
When applying the economical principle of efficiency at cell level and consequently, to the whole organism, it can be noted that the efficiency is highest during the juvenile period, and diminishes progressively during the subsequent "involutional" period of ageing.
As the juvenile "maximum efficiency" is reached when the organism attains its complete development, it becomes evident that the fundamental "organizational cause" of the subsequent involutional period of ageing is to be found, precisely, in the impossibility of further growth for the organism. This may easily be clarified with reference to the "economic principles" of work sharing and function, specialization, inter-dependence and cooperation between several unities.
The above economical principles can also be applied to the cell populations, which compose the different organs. According to the duration of their function in the organism, and to the principle of specialization, cell populations may be distinguished - following the well-known classification of Bizzozero - into "perennial", "labile" and "stable" cell populations.
Cell populations
"Perennial" cells, like nervous cells and those of the striae muscles, remain in the organism during the entire duration of life. "Labile" cells, like those of the blood, are continuously replaced and therefore, do not remain in the organism. "Stable" cells instead, like those of liver, pancreas, connective tissus, smooth muscles, duplicate and grow until they reach the "complete development", i.e., the most appropriate and most "convenient" dimension, morphology, functionality for the entire organism.
As the highest cell efficiency is dependent on the possibility of continuous "duplication" of the cell and of its DNA, any "limitation" put to the duplication means a decrease of efficiency, and thus induces the "involutional" process of ageing, - which begins by a reduction of the duplication of stable cells, when the organism has reached its complete development.
As a consequence of the connections of biological inter-dependence, the minor efficiency of the stable cells would extend to the labile and perennial cell populations and determine the ageing of the entire organism as a whole. Decreased cell efficiency The experiments of Alexis Carrel
Decreased cell efficiency - the experiments of Alexis Carrel
The demonstration of the decreased cell efficiency may be given by the experiments of Alexis Carrel with the cultivation of connective cells in "limited" culture substrate. As far as the human organism is concerned, a protracted fasting period would determine a succession of biological phenomena, which evidence how Nature observes laws of strict "biological Economy", in order to assure the survival of the individual as long as possible. In fact, observing a "hierarchic" process of "autolysis", less efficient labile and stable cells are used, while the perennial cells of the nervous system and of the striated muscles are spared until the end.
Other well-known researchers like Walford, Binet, Bourlière and Roth noted that animals which underwent a "low calory" diet with quantitative restrictions, but maximum respect for the quality of the nutriment, showed a consistent increase of life duration, determined by the utilization of their own, less efficient labile and stable cells for the "autolysis".
