A Basis for the Theory of Medicine by A. D. Speransky

From Dennis Leri's article about Speransky: "Moshe Feldenkrais often spoke with admiration about Russian researcher and theorist A.D. Speransky. When reading Speransky's book one is initially faced with grim, gruesome and grizzly accounts of experiments that nearly all have the same result: the test animal dies... But, the grim task of reading becomes a sort of detective story of ever increasing interest. We travel back in time to Russia in the Twenties and Thirties. Hard questions about pathology and health were being asked and put to the test. Numerous twists and turns along the way led to some very startling propositions being put forth." "Speransky's characterization of health and pathology as emergent self-perpetuating states anticipated much theorizing now current. His thinking led to him being able to create pathological states mimicking certain diseases. He was also able to demonstrate that pathological states could be interrupted and health returned not fighting the irritant b