Computers in biomathematical applications

Electronic computers of both the digital and the analogue varieties have made possible many studies with the use of mathematical models of physiological systems. This area of biomathematics has grown rapidly in the last decade. The general aims, limitations, and problems of such mathematical models are reviewed in this paper. Techniques for the conformation of such mathematical models to experimental data by the application of electronic computers are discussed. Finally, three specific examples are presented briefiy: the regulation of the concentration of glucose in the blood, the metabolism of calcium by bone, and the stimulation of mitochondrial respiration. These examples are presented, rather than an encyclopedic list of uses or a technical set of computer pro grams, in the hope that they will better illustrate some of the applications of electronic computers in biomathematics.