[2] During several recent decades, the most challenging problem in the physics of solar-terrestrial relations has been the search for the mechanisms through which different events and processes on the Sun manifest themselves in the biosphere of the Earth and in the near-Earth space. Pioneering efforts in the formulation and solution of this problem were undertaken by Chizhevskiy [1995]. Currently, many aspects of this problem are well understood and even seem trivial, such as, for instance, changes in the conditions in different regions of the planet depending on the season and time of day which are determined by a mutual position of the Earth and the Sun in space. A considerable progress in understanding of the mechanisms through which the solar events with a quasiperiodical character (solar activity with 11-year, 27-day, and other quasi-periods) manifest themselves in the near-Earth space (the magnetosphere, the ionosphere, and the upper and lower atmosphere of the Earth) has been made. There are more modest achievements in the establishment of the mechanisms by which the nonstationary solar processes that do not exhibit quasiperiodicity and that are characterized by lifetimes from tens of seconds to several hours (for instance, a solar flare) affect the near-Earth space. These achievements have been treated in a number of books [see, e.g., Akasofu and Chapman, 1974; Banks and Kockarts, 1973; Brunelli and Namgaladze, 1988; Danilov and Vlasov, 1973; Ivanov-Kholodnyy and Nikolskiy, 1969; Kolesnik et al., 1993; Krinberg and Tashchilin, 1984]. Though it is a long way to the solution of the problem for the near-Earth space (the problems of space climate and weather, etc., still remain unresolved), the results obtained in the investigations carried out during the recent decades are impressive.
[3] The situation with the mechanisms of influence of solar processes and events on the biosphere of the Earth as a whole and on a man in particular is quite different. The data accumulated up to now convincingly demonstrate that there is a connection between solar events and the psychophysiological state of an individual [see, e.g., Chizhevskiy, 1995; Gichev and Gichev, 1999; Gnevyshev and Ol', 1971; Ptitsina et al., 1998]. The major part of these empirical data is concerned with establishing a correlation between solar activity and psychophysiological states of individuals. These are lethal outcomes of different diseases, exacerbations of diseases, changes in the frequency of traffic accidents, etc. There is a smaller amount of empirical data on the relation between nonstationary processes on the Sun and the state of a human organism. This can be explained by the difficulties encountered in the investigations of correlation relations because of relatively short lifetimes of nonstationary events. As far as the mechanisms responsible for these correlations are concerned, the solution of this problem has not advanced beyond few rather doubtful hypotheses.
[4] Here the hypothesis of Kobrin [1982] should be mentioned. On the basis of the experimental fact that the lag of the maximum of catastrophes (traffic accidents and cardiovascular catastrophes) behind powerful solar flares does not exceed 24 hours, Kobrin put forward the hypothesis that the influence of solar activity on a human organism can be effected through natural electromagnetic fields generated by the Schumann resonator or short-period oscillations of the geomagnetic field.
[5] Thus the problem of the mechanisms through which solar activity affects the human organism still remains unresolved. The goal of the work described here was to reveal such a mechanism and to justify it on the basis of experimental data.
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