Health, Disease, and Causal Explanations in Medicine (Philosophy and Medicine (16))

On May 13-15, 1982, some 50 scientists and scholars - physicians, philos­ ophers and social scientists - convened at Hasselby Castle in Stockholm for the first Nordic Symposium on the Philosophy of Medicine. The topics for the symposium included (1) the concepts of health and disease, (2) classification in medicine, and (3) causality and causal explanations in medicine. The majority of the participants were Scandinavian but the symposium was also able to welcome four distinguished guests from other parts of the world, Professors Stuart F. Spicker and H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., U.S.A., Dr Anne M. Fagot, France, and Dr Werner Morbach, West Germany. The latter represented Professor Kazem Sadegh-zadeh, who unfortunately was prevented from attending. One of the main purposes of this symposium was to bring together people in Scandinavia who at present work within the field of Philosophy of Medi­ cine. This group is still relatively small but is growing rapidly, and the scholarly activity has recently been notable. This fact is clearly demonstrated by the presentation of 'Philosophy of Medicine in Scandinavia' in the Appendix of this volume. Front Matter....Pages i-xxx Front Matter....Pages 1-1 An Equilibrium Model of Health....Pages 3-9 Comments on Pörn’s ‘An Equilibrium Model of Health’....Pages 11-13 On the Circle of Health....Pages 15-23 Comments on Nordenfelt’s ‘On the Circle of Health’....Pages 25-26 Clinical Problems and the Concept of Disease....Pages 27-41 Comments on Engelhardt’s ‘Clinical Problems and the Concept of Disease’....Pages 43-45 Health and Disease from the Point of View of the Clinical Laboratory....Pages 47-60 Front Matter....Pages 61-61 A Critique of Essentialism in Medicine....Pages 63-73 Comments on Jensen’s ‘A Critique of Essentialism in Medicine’....Pages 75-76 Psychiatric Classification: The Status of So-Called “Diagnostic Criteria”....Pages 77-87 Comments on Malmgren’s ‘Psychiatric Classification: The Status of So-Called “Diagnostic Criteria”’....Pages 89-90 Front Matter....Pages 91-91 Criteria of Causal Association in Epidemiology....Pages 93-98 Comments on Ahlbom’s ‘Criteria of Causal Association in Epidemiology’....Pages 99-100 About Causation in Medicine: Some Shortcomings of a Probabilistic Account of Causal Explanations....Pages 101-126 Models of Causation in Epidemiology....Pages 129-135 On the Selection of Causes of Death: An Analysis of Who’s Rules for Selection of the Underlying Cause of Death....Pages 137-152 Disease from a Historical and Social Point of View: Some Remarks Based on the Needs of Preventive Medicine....Pages 153-164 Comments on Larsen’s ‘Disease from a Historical and Social Point of View’....Pages 165-167 The Causal Basis of the Current Disease Classification....Pages 169-177 Comments on Wulff’s ‘The Causal Basis of the Current Disease Classification’....Pages 179-182 Front Matter....Pages 91-91 What is a Genetic Disease? On the Relative Importance of Causes....Pages 183-193 Comments on Hesslow’s ‘What is a Genetic Disease?’....Pages 195-197 A Pragmatic Concept of Causal Explanation....Pages 201-209 Comments on Sadegh-Zadeh’s ‘a Pragmatic Concept of Causal Explanation’....Pages 211-212 Holistic Medicine as a Method of Causal Explanation, Treatment, and Prevention in Clinical Work: Obstacle or Opportunity for Development?....Pages 215-223 Causes, Effects, and Side Effects: Choosing Between the Better and the Best....Pages 225-233 Back Matter....Pages 235-257