Thermoregulation in Tunas

Because tunas possess countercurrent vascular pathways servingthe trunk musculature, metabolic heat is retained, and muscletemperatures can considerably exceed that of the surroundingwater (+1° to +21°C). And because tunas have this excess,it is reasonable to suppose they have some means of controllingits magnitude. Tunas must contend with two exigencies whichcan perturb body temperature: changes in water temperature and,in contrast to non-thermoconserving fish, changes in activity.Both can be met by adaptive change in excess muscle temperature.If this could be accomplished in the absence of changes in environmentaltemperature or activity level, this would constitute physiologicalthermoregulation. If excess muscle temperature cannot be alteredsufficiently to acceptable levels, more favorable environmentaltemperatures must be sought or activity levels changed. We wouldconsider this behavioral thermoregulation. High sustained swimspeeds, characteristic of the continuously swimming tunas, requirespecial consideration. Heat production is proportional to approximatelythe cube of swim speed. In order to maintain a slight temperatureexcess at basal swim speeds (1–2 lengths/sec), and yetnot overheat during sustained high speed swimming (>4 lengths/sec),mechanisms are required to conserve heat under the former conditionsand to dissipate it effectively under the latter. In this report,we review published observations other investigators have interpretedas physiological thermoregulation in tunas, describe recentfindings in our laboratory, and suggest some possible thermoregulatorymechanisms.     

The clinical psychologist; his role in private medical practice

The independent diagnosis and treatment of mental and nervous disorders according to California law constitutes practicing medicine. By this yardstick, an increasing number of clinical psychologists are entering the private practice of medicine. The medical profession has not provided through its leadership the opportunity for clinical psychologists to utilize their skills in a legitimate and supervised way in the treatment of private patients, nor has the medical profession taken sufficient interest in modern methods of treating patients with psychogenic disorders. If the psychiatric team is a feasible and practical approach to spreading the base of psychiatric treatment in hospitals and clinics, it should be applicable to private practice settings too. In the team setting, the psychologist can render great assistance to the physician in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with psychogenic disorders without compromising the principle that the primary responsibility for the patient is the physician's. By virtue of his training and experience, it is the psychiatrist who is best qualified to supervise the work of the psychologist; and until such time as the medical profession is better acquainted with psychotherapeutic techniques, the employment of psychologist assistants should be (according to good medical practice) left to the psychiatrist. The need for some regulation of the use of the title "psychologist" is increasing in order to protect the public from quacks who pose as psychologists. However, any law which is directed toward elimination of the quack should specifically define psychotherapy and contain provisions for its use under adequate medical supervision. The medical profession is obligated to take its traditional role in providing the best possible treatment for patients who are in need of it, and psychotherapy is an inherent part of treatment.