Role of Instinctive Preferences in the Discovery of New and Effective Leads for Cancer Control

Abstract

A possible approach to the cancer problem might be through a comparative study of instinctive or self-regulatory adjustments in exploratory behavior, appetitive behavior, escape from the stress, or other behavior. It has been observed that the instinctive mechanism maintains a constant internal environment restoring it when animals are in pathologic or other upsetting conditions and there are sufficient circumstances for self-selective adjustments. Consequently, observations on cancer-bearing and healthy Ss could help to develop valuable diet, and discover new therapeutic plants and behaviors which might be beneficial to cancer patients. phenomena of self-selection and adaptation are common and typical of biologic systems. They often demonstrate when, where, and what is attractive, repulsive, or neutral to them, during their functional activities and contacts with various material structures or other biologic systems. Drugs (25 ) and antibodies (16, p. 128) interact selectively with the other chemical structures in living organisms. Unicellular organisms such as amoeba, paramecium, and leukocytes exercise selective activities on ingested items. roots of plants are especially adapted for active absorption of ions (3, p. 639). So, also, are the intestinal villi. Membranes of the cells and sensory receptors of living organisms are continuously screening nutrients and other materials. The . . . general fundamental principles are seen to be operating to a very large extent throughout the animal and plan: kingdoms, in the sense tha: everywhere we seem to be finding fresh evidence that the marvellously fine adaptations in structure and physiology of organisms are the inevitable outcome of this interaction with the physical and biological environments in which they have evolved and in which they now survive (22, p. 414). For many years man has believed that living organisms have a natural ability, called an instinctive or self-regulatory mechanism, which maintains normal equilibrium in the body's system. Animals are in a permanent struggle for self-preservation. Inherited and learned experience helps animals to satisfy their needs by finding and selecting necessary food, habitat, protection, and developing behavior habits. Analyzing this selective process more closely, one notices that animals in different environments produce certain adjustments (9) in self-selective action. It is seen that, on the one hand, there are pathologic cases which may indicate wrong selectivity but, on the other hand, a larger number of healthy Ss produce evidence of good selectivity. But it has also been observed that animals demonstrate self-corrective selectivity in