Homeostasis
"Homeostasis is the state of steady internal chemical and physical conditions maintained by living systems."
The theory of homeostasis was first introduced by Claude Bernard, a French Physiologist in the year 1865, and the term was first used in 1926 by Walter Bradford Cannon. Bradford derived Homeostasis from the ancient Greek words (pronounced: hmoios) and (pronounced: hstmi). The combination of these words translates to "similar" and "standing still" respectively.
Homeostasis is quite crucial for the survival of organisms. It is often seen as a resistance to changes in the external environment. Furthermore, homeostasis is a self-regulating process that regulates internal variables necessary to sustain life. In other words, homeostasis is a mechanism that maintains a stable internal environment despite the changes present in the external environment.
The body maintains homeostasis by controlling a host of variables ranging from body temperature, blood pH, blood glucose levels to fluid balance, sodium, potassium and calcium ion concentrations.
Regulation of Homeostasis
The regulation of homeostasis depends on three mechanisms:
- Effector.
- Receptor.
- Control Center.
The entire process continuously works to maintain homeostasis regulation.
a).Receptor
As the name suggests, the receptor is the sensing component responsible for monitoring and responding to changes in the external or internal environment.