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In this review we examined the emerging science of deterministic chaos (nonlinear systems theory) and its application to selected physiological systems. Although many of the popular images of fractals represent fascination and beauty that by analogy corresponds to nature as we see it, the question remains as to its ultimate meaning for physiological processes. It was our intent to help clarify this somewhat popular, somewhat obscure area of nonlinear dynamics in the context of an ever-changing procedural base. We examined not only the basic concepts of chaos, but also its applications ranging from observations in single cells to the complexity of the EEG. We have not suggested that nonlinear dynamics will answer all of our questions; however, we did attempt to illustrate ways in which this approach may help us to answer new questions and to rearticulate old ones. Chaos is revolutionary in that the overall …