[The theory of functional systems and clinical medicine].

The clinical significance of Anokhin's theory of functional systems is analyzed. The concept of a useful result as a universal system-forming factor is debatable. This concept limits the application of the theory to only compensatory-adaptive reactions and, what is more, makes the theory contradictory (the primary achievement of a result usually occurs due to the activity of an already formed system, which excludes its system-forming role). The article substantiates the existence of several system-forming factors as well as the ability of each of them to form physiological, pathological, and ambivalent systems. When taken into account, these concepts eliminate contradictions of the theory and widen the area of its practical application.