Selye, who is known as the 'father of stress research', disavowed the study of specific disease signs and symptoms, unlike others before him, and instead focused ...NCBISkiptomaincontentSkiptonavigationResourcesHowToAboutNCBIAccesskeysMyNCBISignintoNCBISignOutJournalListSingaporeMedJv.59(4);2018AprPMC5915631SingaporeMedJ.2018Apr;59(4):170–171.doi: 10.11622/smedj.2018043PMCID:PMC5915631PMID:29748693HansSelye(1907–1982):FounderofthestresstheorySiangYongTan,MD1andAYip,MS2SiangYongTan1EmeritusProfessorofMedicine,JohnABurnsSchoolofMedicine,UniversityofHawaii,Honolulu,USAFindarticlesbySiangYongTanAYip2Researchcarriedoutduringseniormedicalstudentelective,JohnABurnsSchoolofMedicine,UniversityofHawaii,Honolulu,USAFindarticlesbyAYipAuthorinformationCopyrightandLicenseinformationDisclaimer1EmeritusProfessorofMedicine,JohnABurnsSchoolofMedicine,UniversityofHawaii,Honolulu,USA2Researchcarriedoutduringseniormedicalstudentelective,JohnABurnsSchoolofMedicine,UniversityofHawaii,Honolulu,USACorrespondence:ProfTanSiangYong,2226LilihaStreet,SuiteB-104,Honolulu,HI96817,USA.ude.iiawah@gnaisCopyright:©SingaporeMedicalAssociationThisarticlehasbeencitedbyotherarticlesinPMC.Therelationshipbetweenstressanddiseaseisnowwellestablished,butwasnotalwaysrecognised.Theword‘stress’isusedinphysicstorefertotheinteractionbetweenaforceandtheresistancetocounterthatforce,anditwasHansSelyewhofirstincorporatedthistermintothemedicallexicontodescribethe“nonspecificresponseofthebodytoanydemand“.Selye,whoisknownasthe‘fatherofstressresearch’,disavowedthestudyofspecificdiseasesignsandsymptoms,unlikeothersbeforehim,andinsteadfocusedonuniversalpatientreactionstoillness.Hisconceptofstressimpactedscientificandlaycommunitiesalike,infieldsasdiverseasendocrinology,complementarymedicine,animalbreedingandsocialpsychology.SelyewasborninViennaon26January,1907.Hisfather,HugoSelye,wasasurgeoncolonelintheAustro-HungarianImperialArmywholaterstartedhisownsurgicalclinic.Hismother,whoadministratedtheclinic,hadastronginfluenceontheb