Macy conferences
The Macy conferences were a set of meetings of scholars from various academic disciplines held in New York under the direction of Frank Fremont-Smith at the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation starting in 1941 and ending in 1960. The conferences aimed to promote communication across scientific disciplines and restore unity to science. There were several series of conferences covering specific topics, a total of 160 conferences over 19 years; the phrase "Macy conferences" is often applied specifically to the series on cybernetics. Disciplinary isolation within medicine was a particularly concern of the Macy Foundation, whose mandate was to aid medical research. Other series covered: aging, adrenal cortex, biological antioxidants, blood clotting, blood pressure, connective tissues, infancy and childhood, liver injury, metabolic interrelations, nerve impulse, problems of consciousness, and renal function.