https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.25.6

Professor David Paterson, President, The Physiological Society

All of us in The Physiological Society stand in solidarity with our friends and colleagues in Ukraine. We are deeply shocked at the barbaric unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Physiologists are a global family and we have watched in horror at the scenes of bloodshed unfolding. Ukraine has a proud history of physiological research and The Society is proud to count Ukrainian scientists among our members. For more information about The Society’s response, please visit our website.

Ireland and The Society

Throughout our history, Irish physiologists have been at the heart of The Physiological Society. Irish physiologist Gerald Francis Yeo was among the 19 men who met in John Burdon Sanderson’s house on 31 March 1876 and agreed to form The Society as ‘an association of physiologists for mutual benefit and protection’. He also served as one of The Society’s first secretaries (O’Connor, 1988).

As the establishment of The Society pre-dates the formation of the Republic of Ireland, it has continued to be the home society for British and Irish physiologists. Irish physiologists have made significant contributions to The Society itself and research within the discipline.

The discipline of physiology is highly visible in Irish higher education institutions, with many featuring named physiology departments. Physiology continues to be a popular choice for students at undergraduate and postgraduate level thanks to the high-quality teaching and research programmes on offer.

As a result of strong physiology research programmes at Irish institutions, Irish physiologists are well represented in our discipline’s publications. Twenty-seven papers published in Experimental Physiology and The Journal of Physiology since 2020 have corresponding authors from Irish institutions. One of those authors is a new Society Trustee, Professor Paul McLoughlin. Paul is our Chair of the Publications Committee as well as Professor of Physiology and Head of the Biomedical Sciences Section at University College Dublin.

Professor Áine Kelly has also recently become a Trustee and is Professor in Physiology at Trinity College Dublin. Áine was elected to the Board specifically to help Trustees navigate the scientific, higher education and policy landscape in the Republic of Ireland.

I look forward to working alongside both Paul and Áine – and members across Ireland – to increase our representation of the issues that matter to Irish institutions.

Irish policy priorities

The future of an ageing society is a significant scientific and public policy challenge facing countries across the world, for which physiology research is vital to addressing. In Ireland, a projected shift in the demographic composition of the population means it will have one of the most rapidly ageing populations in the European Union over the coming decades.

In September 2021, the Irish Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe TD, published Population Ageing and the Public Finances in Ireland. The report found that the old-age dependency ratio in Ireland – the number of retirees as a fraction of the number of workers – is set to nearly double over the next 30 years, from 24% at present to 47% by 2050. Associated age-related expenditure is set to be €17 billion higher in 2050, in today’s terms, than in 2019. The report also found that in a hypothetical scenario in which there were no further policy responses, the fiscal costs associated with population ageing would add around 20 percentage points to the debt-to-gross national income ratio by 2050 (Government of Ireland, 2021). This clearly puts significant pressure on public finances as well as a coordinated public health response to ensure older people in Ireland are empowered to live well in older age.

Healthy ageing is a policy priority for The Society, and we continue to successfully highlight the vital role of physiology research in addressing the challenges presented by the ageing population. While our work so far has engaged UK policymakers, in 2022 we will increase our focus on the landscape in Ireland. Similarly, later this year we will work with Irish members on a campaign to promote the invaluable contribution that physiology research and teaching makes to Ireland’s economy and society.

A lesson from COVID-19 has been that, throughout the world, the best defence against unforeseen events is a robust, diverse science base we can call on. However, funding for research and development (R&D) in Ireland is consistently low, with the latest figures showing that Irish R&D spending accounts for only around 1.15% of GDP. In comparison, the latest figures for the UK show R&D spending is at 1.74% and the UK Government is committed to reaching 2.4% of GDP. The Society will be working with members in Ireland to raise our concerns about Irish R&D funding levels with policymakers.

Events and conferences

In addition to our planned policy focus, The Society is looking forward to an expanded programme of events and conferences at Irish institutions. For example, in June we will be celebrating Gerald Francis Yeo’s work by unveiling one of The Society’s blue plaques at Trinity College Dublin to honour his legacy and contributions to physiology. This will be preceded by the unveiling of another of The Society’s blue plaques at Queen’s University Belfast to commemorate the life and work of Henry Barcroft. The Society will also be supporting the centenary celebrations at Trinity College Dublin ‘Physiology@100: Past, Present & Future’ by awarding the Paton Prize Lecture – which aims to promote interest in the history of scientific experiments and ideas.

Irish physiologists continue to make a significant contribution to the health of The Society and the discipline. I look forward to meeting more Irish members in 2022 and sharing their successes with you.

References

Government of Ireland (2021). Population Ageing and the Public Finances in Ireland [Online] gov.ie. Available at: https:// www.gov.ie/en/publication/6ba73-population-ageingand-the-public-finances-in-ireland/ [Accessed 11 February 2022].

O’Connor, WJ. (1988). Founders of British Physiology: A Biographical Dictionary, 1820-1885. Manchester University Press. p.190.