Handbook of philosophy of science. Vol. 16, Philosophy of medicine

This volume covers a wide range of conceptual, epistemological and methodological issues in the philosophy of science raised by reflection upon medical science and practice. Several chapters examine such general meta-scientific concepts as discovery, reduction, theories and models, causal inference and scientific realism as they apply to medicine or medical science in particular. Some discuss important concepts specific to medicine (diagnosis, health, disease, brain death). A topic such as evidence, for instance, is examined at a variety of levels, from social mechanisms for guiding evidence-based reasoning such as evidence-based medicine, consensus conferences, and clinical trials, to the more abstract analysis of experimentation, inference and uncertainty. Some chapters reflect on particular domains of medicine, including psychiatry, public health, and nursing. The contributions span a broad range of detailed cases from the science and practice of medicine, as well as a broad range of intellectual approaches, from conceptual analysis to detailed examinations of particular scientific papers or historical episodes. Chapters view philosophy of medicine from quite different angles Considers substantive cases from both medical science and practice Chapters from a distinguished array of contributors. This volume covers a wide range of conceptual, epistemological and methodological issues in the philosophy of science raised by reflection upon medical science and practice. Several chapters examine such general meta-scientific concepts as discovery, reduction, theories and models, causal inference and scientific realism as they apply to medicine or medical science in particular. Some discuss important concepts specific to medicine (diagnosis, health, disease, brain death). A topic such as evidence, for instance, is examined at a variety of levels, from social mechanisms for guiding evidence-based reasoning such as evidence-based medicine, consensus conferences, and clinical trials, to the more abstract analysis of experimentation, inference and uncertainty. Some chapters reflect on particular domains of medicine, including psychiatry, public health, and nursing.

The contributions span a broad range of detailed cases from the science and practice of medicine, as well as a broad range of intellectual approaches, from conceptual analysis to detailed examinations of particular scientific papers or historical episodes.

Chapters view philosophy of medicine from quite different angles

Considers substantive cases from both medical science and practice

Chapters from a distinguished array of contributors

Content: Introduction, Fred GiffordConcepts of Health and Disease, Christopher BoorseMedical Ontology, Jeremy R. SimonTheories and Models in Medicine, R. Paul ThompsonReduction in Biology and Medicine, Kenneth F. SchaffnerCausal Inference and Medical Experiments, Daniel SteelPatterns of Medical Discovery, Paul ThagardEvidence-Based Medicine, Robyn Bluhm and Kirstin BorgersonGroup Judgment and the Medical Consensus Conference, Miriam SolomonFrequentist versus Bayesian Clinical Trials, David TeiraUncertainty in Clinical Medicine, Benjamin Djulbegovic, Iztok Hozo and SanderGreenlandThe Logic of Diagnosis, Kazem Sadegh-ZadehConceptual Foundations of Biological Psychiatry, Dominic MurphyBrain Death, John LizzaNursing Science, Mark RisjordPublic Health, Dean Rickles Introduction / Fred Gifford Concepts of health and disease / Chirstopher Boorse Medical ontology / Jeremy R. Simon Theories and models in medicine / R. Paul Thompson Causal inference and medical experiments / Daniel Steel Patterns of medical discovery / Paul Thagard Evidence-based medicine / Robyn Bluhm and Kirstin Borgerson Group judgment and the medical consensus conference / Miriam Solomon Frequentist versus Bayesian clinical trials / David Teira Uncertainty in clinical medicine / Benjamin Djulbegovic, Iztok Hozo, Sander Greenland The logic of diagnosis / Kazem Sadegh-Zadeh Conceptual foundations of biological psychiatry / Dominic Murphy Brain death / Joh Lizza Nursing science / Mark Risjord Public health / Dean Rickles.