Morphologic and Pathophysiologic Signs 



of the Response of the Nervous System 



to Ionizing Radiation 



(Review of main works published in the USSR) 



N. I. Grashchenkov* 



Institute of the Higher Nervous Activity, 

 U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences, Moscow, U.S.S.R. 



Introduction 



The decisive role in the complex interrelationship between animal organ- 

 isms (including human) and their environment belongs to the nervous 

 system. All environmental agents, whatever their nature, address themselves 

 in the first instance to the nervous system. 



The degree to which an animal or human organism reacts to various 

 harmful stimuli is determined by the properties of functional mobility and 

 working unity of the vegetative nervous system with the endocrine system of 

 the organism and by the interdependence between these systems and the 

 peripheral and central nervous system. 



During the last few decades a new environmental factor has appeared — 

 ionizing radiation. The degree of concentration of this radiation in the en- 

 vironment is inevitably increasing owing to the further development of 

 atomic weapons, the growth of powerful installations, electric power plants, 

 ships, and submarines which process radioactive substances, and the increas- 

 ing quantity of scientific research using radioactive substances. The result is 

 that an ever increasing number of people are being subjected to the action of 

 ionizing radiation. 



To protect man from the harmful action of ionizing radiation we need 

 thorough investigation and accurate knowledge of the mechanism by which 

 ionizing radiation acts on the animal and human organisms. Once this is 

 known, a series of preventive and therapeutic means can be suggested which 

 would eliminate or reduce the force of the harmful action of ionizing radia- 

 tion on the organism as a whole or on particular systems and organs. It is 

 generally admitted that ionizing radiation attacks the human organism first 



* Much of the work entailed in compiHng this review and the attached bibhography 

 has been done by the staff of the laboratory of Dr. B. M. Hecht and Dr. A. M. Weln. 



297 



