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The General Adaptation Syndrome In Gerbillus, Bridget L. Moore

McCabe Thesis Collection

The General Adaptation Syndrome or the G.A.S. is the term applied to collective responses to physiological stress. It is initiated by any disturbance in the normal balance of the body functions. These responses affect humans, monkeys, and other animals. The three main physiological changes which occur as a result of stress are enlarged adrenals, shrunken lymphatic organs, and bleeding gastrointestinal ulcers. There are also concomitant changes in the hematocrit and the formed elements of blood. In particular, there is usually a decrease in lymphocytes and eosinophils accompanied by the increase in neutrophils and platelets.

Stress is defined as pressure, or …