Metabolism
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
Metabolism refers to the complete set of transformations of substances in living organisms, including both assimilation (anabolism) and dissimilation (catabolism) phases. The term is preferred over 'exchange of substances' as it more fully and deeply characterizes all changes in the body.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
METABOLISM (from Greek metabole - transformation), a term for designating the entire complex of transformations of substances (including foodstuffs) in living organisms, which therefore combines both the assimilative (see Anabolism) and dissimilative (see Catabolism) phases. This term gained particular acceptance especially in the works of English, American, and French authors; in German and Russian literature, however, its synonym, and moreover the more frequently used term, is the term exchange of substances (see) (Stoffwechsel), introduced by Voit. It should be recognized that the term M. ('transformation of substances') characterizes the entire sum of changes in substances in the body more completely and deeply.
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“Metabolism.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/metabolism/