Acta Morphologica 13. Supplementum (1965)

Proceedings of the annual meeting of Hungarian Pathologists and Anatomists. Kecskemét, 1964

PROCEEDINGS OF THE ANNUAL MEETING OF HUNGARIAN PATHOLOGISTS AND ANATOMISTS Kecskemét, 1964 PLENARY SESSIONS RELATOR S. Braun (Department of Pathological Anatomy, Péterfy Hospital, Budapest) Current Problems of Experimental Teratogenesis Any problem we make the object of inquiries may be interesting for either its practical or its theoretical aspects; most problems are so for both aspects together. Great was the practical significance of teratology right from the beginning, at a time when its scope of inquiry was still limited to the study of spontaneously developing abnormalities or malformations. When studying the genetic causes of such abnormalities of development, we have to give the physico-chemical approach priority to comparative morphological and taxo­­logical methods. The beginning of nuclear era a few decades ago and the discovery that many chemical substances are teratogenic, have only added to the practical importance of teratology; its theoretical significance, as viewed from the view of general biology, need not be specially emphasized. In the approach of a given problem, there are always several phases. The first is usually the phase of selecting a suitable model allowing to study the influence which produces changes similar or at least analogous to those brought about by the natural phenomenon. Then follow analytic inquiries as to the manner in which these influences are inducing their effects. When trying to state general rules about a biological process, we have to determine the common element in the different pathogenic influences and from this point it may likely be that we are led on to finding means of prevention or even therapy. In 1836, G. S. Hilaire furnished unquestionable evidence for the teratogenic effect of anoxia. In the period of one and a half century up to now, it has been discovered that many chemical substances and types of physical influ­ences have a similar result. Few, however, have been investigated further than the first rough approach. In the present report I shall chiefly discuss those substances and physical influences which allow some insight into the mechanisms of their action, and to draw some conclusions of general validity which might help to find out the causes of the teratogenic effect of other sub­stances the way of action is not known. The teratogenic effect of ionizing rays was first observed at the begin­ning of this century by Gillman and Beatjev [1] and has since then been 1 Acta Morphologie» Suppl. XIII.

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