Development of ideas about the physiology of metabolism

The article is devoted to the history of the development of metabolic physiology, starting from the study of the general principles of metabolism in the early modern period to research in recent decades. In studying the history of medical and biological disciplines, an important part is the identification of the stages of their formation and development. In this regard, it seems important to make a historical-scientific review of the development of ideas about metabolic physiology, showing the contribution of researchers from different regions. It will be useful for teaching historical-scientific and special disciplines, as well as for researchers studying the history of physiology. The purpose of the article: to analyze the development of ideas about the physiology of metabolism in Modern and Contemporary times. Research materials. In preparing this text, articles in publications included in the RSCI and PubMed were used. The depth of the search for publications was 20 years, and a number of earlier works relevant to the research topic were also included in the review. Research results. The results on the development of ideas about the physiology of metabolism were summarized. The first experiments began in the early modern period. For this purpose, calorimeters were designed to measure the amount of heat generated. The data obtained prompted scientists to study the chemical composition of body tissues, the composition of food substances entering the body, and the end products of decay released. On this basis, nutrition standards were developed in the second half of the 19th century. During the 20th century, the protein nature of enzymes was established, the mechanism of regulation of blood glucose levels was studied, the role of B vitamins in metabolism was clarified, etc. The contribution of Russian physiologists to the development of metabolic physiology is shown (Bidder G., Shmidt A., Sechenov I.M., Mikhailov V.P., Babskii E.B., Savitskii N.N.). The history of the development of metabolic physiology can be considered when studying special issues within the university disciplines «Normal Physiology», «History of Medicine», «History of Biology».