The application of electrical network theory to the analysis and simulation of dynamic physiological systems

The author reviews the principles by which electronic network theory can be generalized to a physical systems theory and then specifically applied to living systems. The basic steps in building a network model are recognizably the same as those used in electronics. A short summary of the impact of network theory on fundamental physics is given, and the field of network thermodynamics is introduced. Some important contributions to the structure of thermodynamics and to systems theory are mentioned