Abstract
The term “withdrawal reflex” is intended to mean any reflex whose end purpose is to protect the organism or one of its tissues from being damaged (Fig. 1). One example is the corneal reflex described as “irritation of the cornea causing the reflex closure of the lids” [1].
To the memory of Vito Valterra, the illustrious mathematician who, in 1932, published his “Mathematical Theory of the Struggle for Life”, a splendid mathematical analysis of survival strategies where the fundamental model is the withdrawal reflex.
“The chief function of the central nervous system is to send messages to the muscles which will make the body move effectively as a whole”: E.D. Adrian, Nobel Prize 1932.
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Tiengo, M. (1999). Withdrawal reflex: philosophy and physiology. In: Tiengo, M., Paladini, V.A., Rawal, N. (eds) Regional Anaesthesia Analgesia and Pain Management. Topics in Anaesthesia and Critical Care. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-2240-9_3
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