The Rise of Causal Concepts of Disease: Case Histories (The History of Medicine in Context) [Hardcover]

K. Codell Carter (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0754606783 | ISBN-13: 978-0754606789 | Publication Date: January 2003

Much of contemporary medical theory and practice focuses on the identification of specific causes of disease. However, this has not always been the case: until the early 19th century physicians thought of diseases in quite different terms. The modern quest for causes of disease can be seen as a single Lakatosian research programme. One can track the rise and elaboration of this programme by a series of case histories. The success of work on bacterial diseases such as cholera and tuberculosis tends to eclipse the broad context in which those studies were embedded. Yet, in the 1830s, 50 years before Koch's publications on tuberculosis, specific causes were already being identified for several non-bacterial diseases including scabies, muscardine and ringworm. Moreover, by the end of the century, the quest for specific causes had spread well beyond bacterial diseases. The expanding research programme included Freud's early work on psychopathology, the discovery of viruses, the discovery of vitamins, and the recognition of genetic disorders such as Down's syndrome. Existing historical discussions of research in these areas, for example, histories of work on the deficiencies diseases, take the view that success in bacteriology was a positive obstacle to the identification of causes for other kinds of diseases. Treating the quest for causes as a single coherent research programme provides a better understanding of the disease concepts that characterise 150 years of medical thought.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ashgate Pub Ltd (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0754606783
• ISBN-13: 978-0754606789
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,865,899 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting approach, October 31, 2009

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Thetafuchsian Monster (UT, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Rise of Causal Concepts of Disease: Case Histories (The History of Medicine in Context) (Hardcover)

Before you start reading, remember that the author is primarily a philosopher, so this book is very thorough in philosophical, logical, and scholarly aspects and does not really try to cater to other (say, biology or computer science) tastes. In spite of this, I've liked it.

I'm taking a course from the author. In the book he raises some interesting questions about the traditional view of the history of medicine and proceeds to actually make sense of the beginnings of it. There are a few logical gaps that are easily overshadowed by the sense he makes of the history over all. The depth and meticulousness of his research is rather startling: it spans multiple languages and over a century of time and includes just about everything relevant. His main idea is usually clear in the beginning of any given section, though sometimes the sheer number of examples he uses to demonstrate a point is a touch monotonous.

Overall, if you're taking the class from Carter, you need the book. If you're looking for light reading and you like the preview, you won't be disappointed.

I'm a bit odd, I suppose: I like the construction of the book. The paper used is bright and the typeface is--to me--readable. The cover and binding seem well built. (No, it really shouldn't cost $130...)