Processes as well as degeneration and. Medical encyclopedia. See the meaning of Degeneration in other dictionaries

General degeneration is the process of simplifying the structure of organisms. However, this does not mean that the species is dying out. The process of general degeneration is accompanied by an increase in the number of organisms and an expansion of their range.

Morphophysiological regression leads to the prosperity of the species

Biological progress is a concept introduced by Charles Darwin, the founder of the theory of evolution. Alexey Nikolaevich Severtsov identified three ways to implement biological progress:

1. Aromorphosis.
2. Idioadaptation.
3. General degeneration (morphophysiological regression).

A. N. Severtsov attributed morphophysiological regression to biological progress - the prosperity of the species. The scientist noted that a species is on the path of biological progress if the following is observed:

1. The number of individuals increases, the survival rate increases.
2. The taxon's habitat is expanding.
3. Adaptive radiation of the group is observed.

Adaptive radiation is the process of a species mastering new ecological niches. This development occurs when new characteristics appear: morphological, physiological or behavioral.

According to A.N. Severtsov, in any group of organisms, aromorphoses first occur, then idioadaptation or general degeneration.

Causes of morphophysiological regression

Examples of general degeneration in animals

Sessile forms of animals

Ascidia is a chordate animal. The larva leads an active lifestyle, has a chord, and swims in water. In this way it is similar to the embryos of vertebrate animals. However, the ascidian then attaches to the surface and loses the characteristics of the notochord, while in other vertebrates the skeleton of the spinal column develops. The loss of a notochord by a species in adulthood is an example of general degeneration. In addition, the adult ascidian does not have a brain, only a nerve ganglion. The larvae have a rudimentary brain. Brain loss is also an example of a general degeneration in evolution. Adult ascidians lead sedentary image life. They feed on filtration. That is, for this type of nutrition, they developed a large pharynx, occupying half the body area. A sole is formed, which is necessary for attachment to the substrate.

However, to maintain the population of the species, the worms acquired suckers and hooks. These organs keep animals in the intestines of the owner. The bovine tapeworm has only suckers. Pork tapeworm has both suckers and hooks, which, of course, damage the tissues of the main host.

The reproductive system of tapeworms occupies most of their body. Each of the numerous segments has its own genital organs. So developed reproductive system became necessary to increase the number of eggs produced, because only a small part of them will enter the body intermediate host. Moreover, the worms are hermaphrodites, that is, they are able to reproduce in the presence of only one individual in the body of the definitive host. This adaptation allowed tapeworms spread widely throughout the world.

Transition of a species to inhabit an atypical biotope

Many mammals have evolved back to aquatic environment. These are dolphins, whales, seals and sea lions, seals. All of them lost their walking limbs, which were transformed into flippers.

The only species of arachnid that does not have visual organs, Sinopoda scurion, lives in Laotian caves. There is no light in the depths of the caves. The spider's eyes disappeared as a result of being unnecessary. Natural selection did not preserve the ability to see.

Examples of general degeneration in plants

Vertlyanitsa (Monotropa) belongs to higher plants. She has lost the main pigment chlorophyll hallmark producers. The squirrel does not build carbohydrates itself, it takes ready-made organic substances from humus, from the roots of neighboring trees, and it is also helped by symbiosis with mushrooms. The mycelium supplies it with nutritional compounds. The plant does not require carbon assimilation. He doesn't have to capture energy sunlight. As a result, the structure of the whirligig was simplified. The absence of chlorophyll is an example of general degeneration of the trochanter. In addition, the leaves were reduced. Now they look like scales.

The formation of spines instead of leaves is also considered an example of general degeneration.

Symbiosis as a cause of general degeneration

Lichen is a striking example of the symbiosis of a fungus and algae. It is believed that some species have lost the ability to fertilize. Also some lichen species have probably disappeared asexual reproduction disputes. This type of reproduction characterizes free-living fungi.

The term “degenerative diseases” is unfamiliar to our ears and rather causes a smile. And in vain.

Our doctors and medical scientists rarely use the phrase “degenerative diseases” and do not classify them as a separate group of diseases, but this term is very common in the world medical lexicon.

Degenerative diseases include diseases in which there is a constant, continuous deterioration in the structure and functioning of tissues or organs.

Degenerative diseases are the result of a continuous process based on degenerative changes in cells, affecting tissues or organs that become progressively worse over time.

The word “degeneration” means a gradual and steady deterioration of something, degeneration, degradation. Naturally, the word “degenerate” means constantly deteriorating, degenerating.

As you can see, there is nothing funny or connected here, as we are used to, with mentally retarded fellows.

The list of degenerative diseases is also not conducive to jokes and laughter.

List of degenerative diseases

The most well-known degenerative diseases are the following:

• Atherosclerosis
• Alzheimer's disease
• Diabetes mellitus (type II)
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Osteoarthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Multiple sclerosis
• Parkinson's disease
• Prostatitis

As you can see, the list of diseases is dominated by those that are commonly referred to as “terrible”. But this is far from full list. Below are no less terrible, although less known to most people (and thank God!) diseases:

• Friedreich's ataxia - consists of damage nervous system due to an inherited gene mutation. Leads to problems with walking, weakness in the legs, impaired or loss of hearing and vision, dementia, etc.
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system that involves damage to the spinal cord and medulla oblongata. Leads to death due to respiratory tract infections or respiratory muscle failure
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (spastic pseudosclerosis) is a degenerative disease of the brain. In more than 90% of cases it leads to death.
• Niemann-Pick disease is a serious disorder of fat metabolism, leading to the accumulation of fat (including cholesterol) in the liver, as well as the brain, lymph nodes, and spleen. Appears in childhood, almost always leads to early death.
• Huntington's disease (Huntington's disease) is a hereditary disease. Symptoms include uncontrollable, erratic body movements, memory loss and, ultimately, dementia.
• Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) - these include Crohn's disease (otherwise known as granulomatous enteritis) and ulcerative colitis. Lead to serious damage to the gastrointestinal tract.
• Retinal dystrophy - irreversible destruction of the retinal tissue of the eye occurs, which leads to a sharp deterioration in vision.
• Keratoconus is a thinning of the cornea of ​​the eye, leading to serious vision impairment.
• Keratoglobus is a disease of the cornea of ​​the eye, manifested in its uniform protrusion (globe-shaped). Leads to vision impairment.
• Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a hereditary eye disease that leads to severe vision impairment, including blindness.
• Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a group of inherited diseases characterized by progressive atrophy of skeletal muscles.
• Hereditary motor-sensory neuropathy (Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease) is a group of diseases leading to damage to the muscles of the arms and legs.
• Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a hereditary eye disease that leads to severe vision impairment, including blindness.
• Marfan syndrome is a hereditary disease of the connective tissue of all organs. Leads to deformation (lengthening) of the main bones of the skeleton, visual impairment, and damage to the cardiovascular system.
• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a group of hereditary diseases of the connective tissues of the body. Caused by disturbances in the process of collagen synthesis. It manifests itself as thinning of the skin, abnormal joint flexibility and mild damage.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a serious lung disease that leads to difficulty breathing.
• Essential tremor is a hereditary disease characterized by trembling of the hands, head and vocal muscles.
• and several dozen other diseases.

As you can see, degenerative diseases include diseases that are completely different from each other, affecting various organs and systems of the body. Therefore, in domestic medicine, the term “degenerative disease” itself is usually used with qualifications - for example, degenerative diseases of the nervous system, spine, eyes, etc.

At the same time, degenerative diseases also have common character traits, allowing you to combine them into a common class.

Characteristics of degenerative diseases

These include the following:

This type of disease has a gradual, almost imperceptible onset and steady progress over many years, often decades.
The onset of the disease can rarely be traced and its cause identified.
The affected organ or tissue gradually ceases to perform its functions, and degeneration almost always progresses.
All diseases of this class are extremely resistant to therapeutic interventions. Their treatment is very complex, complex and often does not give tangible results. It is believed that degenerative diseases can be slowed down, but they almost never can be cured.
They are more common in older and older people, being less common among young people.
A significant part of these diseases is associated with genetic factors, so the disease can develop in several family members. Such diseases are sometimes classified as a subclass of hereditary degenerative diseases.

Degenerative diseases and cellular nutrition

Chronic degenerative diseases are the leading causes of death in developed countries.

Their causes are most often hereditary, but the transition of the disease from a “dormant” phase to an active one, according to most experts, is provoked by factors associated with lifestyle - excessive consumption of animal fats and other nutritional disorders, low mobility, lack of physical activity, exposure to free radicals, etc., which act as triggers that “start” the development of the disease.

In this regard, a special role in prevention plays a role in degenerative diseases by protecting against free radicals, balancing the diet and giving strength for a more active lifestyle.

From the Latin word degeneratus, translated meaning “degenerate”, comes modern name people who have noticeable signs of mental or physical degeneration. They are all called degenerates. Among such individuals there are all degrees of intellectual giftedness, starting with well-developed mental abilities to those who are mentally retarded from birth (oligophrenics).

Many people are interested in the question of what a degenerate means, whether a gifted person can be one. No doubt it can. After all, degenerativism is not mental retardation, but mental disorders. Even if a person suffering from this mental pathology is mentally gifted, in any case he will exhibit superficial thinking, an inability to focus attention for a more or less long time, or to think a thought through to the end. He will also have no reaction to criticism and reproach.

What is degeneration?

Degenerate - who is this person? And can it be called this word? Such questions concern many, because very often this word is pronounced in a derogatory sense in order to offend someone. It is quite difficult to find answers to these questions in the literature. But if you understand it completely, then degeneration is a mental pathology.

She has existed at all times as evolutionary process in natural selection. Its mechanism is quite simple. People who violate the laws of nature acquire mental illness. As these diseases get worse, they are inherited.

Hereditary factors influencing the development of degenerative characteristics in an individual

The manifestation of such personality deviation as degeneration is influenced primarily by heredity. This mental illness is transmitted hereditarily as follows.

Sick people whose brains are affected by a pathology such as degeneration give birth to children with varying degrees of damage (from the mild form, which is found in most of modern civilization, especially in developed countries, to the most severe, when freaks or completely weak-minded people are born individuals). Therefore, the word “degenerate” has a fairly broad meaning.

External factors influencing personality degeneration

In addition to heredity, very big influence influence the degeneration of personality external factors. Among them, the following play the most important role:

• ecological situation, soil and water composition;
• narcotic substances;
• poisoning;
• epidemics;
• hunger strikes;
• alcohol abuse.

Therefore, the question of who a degenerate is can be answered in a few words: this is an individual who, due to some circumstances, has lost his human appearance, either moral or physical.

All geeks have an overly active imagination, which encourages them to accept everything invented by their fevered brain as reality. This is where their tendency to deceit and exaggeration originates.

Physiological signs of degeneration and degeneration

Manifestations of degeneration can be determined by external, physiological signs. Among them are the following:

• The body has functional dissymmetry, this includes unilateral sweating, which is quite often observed in degenerates.
• Tendency to cerebral hyperemia, which affects the arousal of mental activity. This leads to abnormal excitability. It manifests itself especially strongly at the moment when a person has been drinking. For someone who is prone to degenerative changes, after even a small dose of alcohol, abnormal changes in behavior occur (drunken harassment, hooliganism, memory loss). And when you meet such a person somewhere in a company, the question of whether he is a degenerate - who he is, and how to distinguish him from normal people - disappears.
• The body cannot control certain reflex acts (bedwetting).
• Speech diseases (burr, lisp, stuttering). But this applies to stuttering only when the defect is congenital and not acquired.

Based on these signs, it should become clear what a degenerate looks like and how to most easily distinguish such a person from other people.

Functional signs of degeneration and degeneration

There are also signs of degeneration by which one can distinguish births and families that are beginning to degenerate from healthy ones. Degenerative families have several common biological features:

• The number of criminals who come from these families is much greater than among those who come from healthy families.
• Viability in these births decreases from generation to generation, as indicated by the high mortality rate of children.
• Among the immediate offspring there are a lot of degenerative individuals.
• There are 7 times more infertile marriages than healthy births.

As can be seen from these signs, in modern world everything appears every year more families, which begin to degenerate. And when the question is asked about a degenerate - who he is, and why he became like this, it should be understood that it is not his fault that he has such defects. All the blame for his degenerative features lies only with his ancestors.

(degeneratio, lat. degenero to degenerate, to be reborn)
1) (syn. degradation) in biology - the process of simplification, reverse development;
2) in pathology - see Dystrophy.

View value Degeneration in other dictionaries

Degeneration- degeneration, g. (French degeneration) (scientific). Degeneration, deterioration biological characteristics body.
Dictionary Ushakova

Degeneration J.— 1. Deterioration of the valuable biological properties of the organism in each subsequent generation; degeneration. 2. Reduction, disappearance of individual organs during normal development........
Explanatory Dictionary by Efremova

Degeneration- -And; and. [French dégénération]
1. Deterioration of biological and mental signs of the body; degeneration.
2. Biol. The process of destruction of cells or organs of animal organisms.........
Kuznetsov's Explanatory Dictionary

Degeneration- degeneration, deterioration from generation to generation of valuable adaptive or economic properties (varieties, breeds) of plants or animals; in microbiology D. industrial. strains........
Dictionary of microbiology

Beignet Balzer Colloid Skin Degeneration— (E. Besnier, 1831-1909, French dermatologist; F. Balzer, 1849-1929, French dermatologist) see Colloid skin dystrophy.
Big medical dictionary

Bera Macular Degeneration— (S. Behr, born in 1876, German ophthalmologist; synonymous degeneration macular spot familial) familial hereditary retinal degeneration with predominant damage to the central........
Large medical dictionary

Bücklers Corneal Degeneration— (M. Bucklers, German ophthalmologist of the 20th century) hereditary eye disease, manifested in childhood and characterized by pain and hyperemia in the eye area........
Large medical dictionary

Degeneration- (degeneratio, lat. degenero degenerate, degenerate) 1) (syn. degradation) in biology - a process of simplification, reverse development; 2) in pathology - see Dystrophy.
Large medical dictionary

Spongy White Matter Degeneration- (degeneratio gubstantiae albae spongiosa) see Canavan disease.
Large medical dictionary

Degeneration Hepatolenticular- (degeneratio hepatolenticularis) see Hepatocerebral dystrophy.
Large medical dictionary

Hyaloid-retinal degeneration- (degeneratio hyaloidoretinalis; synonym Wagner's disease) a hereditary disease characterized by progressive damage to the vitreous body, retinal degeneration, visual atrophy......
Large medical dictionary

Macular Degeneration- (degeneratio maculae luteae; synonym: macular degeneration) common name diseases characterized by dystrophic changes in the retina limited to the macula area.
Large medical dictionary

Macular Degeneration Pediatric- (d. maculae luteae infantilis) see Vesta disease.
Large medical dictionary

Macular Degeneration Discoid- (d. maculae luteae discoidea) see Discoid retinal degeneration.
Large medical dictionary

Macular Degeneration- (syn. D. macular vitelline) hereditary disease characterized by a progressive decrease in central vision and a positive central scotoma;......
Large medical dictionary

Macular Degeneration- see Vitelline macular degeneration.
Large medical dictionary

Familial Macular Degeneration- (d. maculae luteae familiaris) see Vera macular degeneration.
Large medical dictionary

Macular Degeneration Senile— (d. maculae luteae senilis) D. macula, which occurs due to age-related changes in the choroid of the eye.
Large medical dictionary

Juvenile Macular Degeneration- (d. maculae luteae juvenilis) see Stargardt macular degeneration.
Large medical dictionary

Skin Degeneration Colloid— see Colloid skin dystrophy.
Large medical dictionary

Corticostriospinal degeneration— (degeneratio cortico-striospinalis; synonym: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, spastic pseudosclerosis, Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease) a disease from the group of slow infections, characterized by......
Large medical dictionary

Degeneration Lenticular Progressive— (degeneratio lenticularis progressiva) see Hepatocerebral dystrophy.
Large medical dictionary

Nerve Fiber Degeneration Secondary- (degeneratio neurofibrarum secundaria) see Wallerian degeneration.
Large medical dictionary

Periaxonal Nerve Fiber Degeneration- (degeneratio neurofibrarum periaxonalis; synonym: degeneration nerve fibers segmental, Stransky intermittent myelin disintegration) a pathological process characterized by the disintegration of myelin........
Large medical dictionary

Nerve Fiber Degeneration Segmental— (degeneratio neurofibrarum segmentalis) see Periaxonal degeneration of nerve fibers.
Large medical dictionary

Degeneration Mental- (historical; degeneratio psychica) general name for deviations of the psyche from the original normal condition caused by unfavorable heredity.
Large medical dictionary

Retinal Degeneration— (degeneratio retinae; synonym: retinal dystrophy, retinodegeneration, retinodystrophy) is the general name for pathological processes in the retina, characterized mainly by its dystrophic degeneration.
Large medical dictionary

Retinal Degeneration Secondary— (d. retinae secundaria) D. s., arising as a result of a previous pathological process in the retina and (or) its vessels.
Large medical dictionary

Retinal Degeneration Discoid— (d. retinae disciformis; synonym: discoid macula, Kunta-Junius disease) secondary D. s. with arteriosclerosis or after hemorrhages in the macula area, ophthalmoscopically........
Large medical dictionary

Retinal Degeneration Cystic- (d. retinae cystosa) secondary D. s., ophthalmoscopically characterized by the presence of multiple transparent small cysts.
Large medical dictionary

Degeneration

Degeneration- a process of dramatic simplification of organization associated with the disappearance of organs and functions, as well as entire organ systems.

In individual development

• Destruction during ontogenesis of cells and (or) organs

• In phylogenesis - reduction of organs, their systems and other structures of the body, simplification of organization in the process of evolution. In many ways, it is similar to degeneration at the level of development of individual individuals.

• deterioration over time of adaptive and (or) economically valuable properties of plants and animals;
• weakening of the viability of cultivated organisms when growing conditions deteriorate.

see also

Links

• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional ones). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Antonyms:

See what “Degeneration” is in other dictionaries:

- (from the French degenerate to deteriorate, degenerate). Degeneration, characterized by deviation from the normal type, physically or mentally. Dictionary foreign words, included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. DEGENERATION... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Degeneration. Ant. revival, development Dictionary of Russian synonyms. degeneration see degeneration Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. Practical guide. M.: Russian language. Z. E. Alexandrova ... Synonym dictionary

- (from Latin degenero degenerate) 1) deterioration from generation to generation of adaptive or economically valuable properties of plants and animals. 2) Destruction during ontogenesis of cells or organs (for example, the tail of a tadpole when turning into a frog) ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Degeneration- Degeneration ♦ Degenerescence Degeneration; a kind of natural decadence (just as decadence can be called cultural degeneration). A degenerate is a victim of his genes; a decadent is a victim of upbringing and his own tastes. After abuse... Philosophical Dictionary Sponville

degeneration- and, f. dégénération f., German Degeneration. 1. Deterioration of valuable biological properties of the organism in each subsequent generation; degeneration. BAS 2. For a Russian Slav they must be more interesting than Italy; because the people lived there for us completely... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

- (from the Latin degenero I degenerate), 1) degeneration, deterioration from generation to generation of adaptive or economically valuable properties of plants and animals. 2) Destruction of cells or organs of living organisms (for example, the tail of a tadpole during... ... Modern encyclopedia

DEGENERATION, degeneration, female. (French degeneration) (scientific). Degeneration, deterioration of the biological characteristics of the body. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 … Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

DEGENERATION, and, female. (book). Degeneration, deterioration from generation to generation of biological or mental characteristics of an organism. | adj. degenerative, oh, oh and degenerative, oh, oh. D. process. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu.... ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

- (from Latin degenero I degenerate), 1) simplification of the structure of organs and tissues in the process of ontogenesis of organisms, for example. the disappearance of a tadpole's tail when it transforms into a frog. 2) Reduction of dep. organs and entire systems in the process of phylogenesis; (cm.… … Biological encyclopedic Dictionary

See Degeneration. Philosophical encyclopedic dictionary. 2010… Philosophical Encyclopedia

Books

• Age-related macular degeneration. Management, Alpatov Sergey Anatolyevich, Shchuko Andrey Gennadievich. The guide introduces the reader to new views on the patterns and mechanisms of development of age-related macular degeneration. Its stages are described clinical picture and diagnostic methods. IN…
• Social essays on modern economics. Degeneration of capitalism and degeneration of socialism, Sorel J.. Readers are invited to a book by the famous French social philosopher, theorist of anarcho-syndicalism Georges Sorel (1847-1922), dedicated to the study of transformations that ...