Reductionism is a method of explanation that assumes the workings of complex phenomena are reducible to the relationship of their simpler, fundamental, constituents. This practice is utilized in some form or another throughout nearly all fields of science: including physics, chemistry, ecology, sociology, medical sciences, etc. Reducing complex systems to the mechanisms of their parts is risky – it neglects properties that may emerge from the system as a whole. These emergent properties may be unpredictable, unnecessary, or unprecedented and, therefore, must be observed from higher levels of organization. There are several terms used to describe “anti-reductionism,” or, the belief that the whole is greater than the sum or its parts. To remain consistent, I will adhere to the term “holism” to represent this theory of explanation. I will examine expositions by various philosophers who describe the use of reductionism in medicine: James A. Marcum explores the uses of reductionism and organicism (holism) in cancer research; Elisabeth A. Lloyd discusses the socioeconomic aspects of human health; and Alfred I. Tauber explains the vital importance of holism in medicine. I will conclude with the conviction that the integration of holism and reductionism, together, create the most ethically sound approach in medicine based on the epistemological challenges of reductionism in biological sciences and medicine, as well as the moral imperative that demands a holistic approach to understand the functioning of human beings.
James Marcum (2005) uses cancer research as a model to view the importance of metaphysical presuppositions in guiding scientific studies. When beginning to study the profound complexity of biological systems and processes, ...
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...ually provide the necessary bridge between knowledge obtained from reductionist and holistic studies to obtain the best medical treatment possible (Marcum, 2005).
Works Cited
Lloyd, Elsabeth A. “Reductionism in Medicine: Social Aspects of Health.” Promises and Limits of Reductionism in the Biomedical Sciences. Eds. Van Regenmortel, Marc H., and David L. Hull. Chichester, West Sussex, England: John Wiley & Sons, 2002. Print.
Marcum, J.A. "Metaphysical Presuppositions and Scientific Practices: Reductionism and
Organicism in Cancer Research." International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 19.1 (2005): 31-45. Print.
Tauber, Alfred I. “The Ethical Imperative of Holism in Medicine.” Promises and Limits of
Reductionism in the Biomedical Sciences. Eds. Van Regenmortel, Marc H., and David L.
Hull. Chichester, West Sussex, England: John Wiley & Sons, 2002. Print.
As good writers do, Kevin has exquisitely used language to favor his side. His wide arsenal includes weapons such as non-sequiturs, vague comparisons, jargons, emotive terms, connoted meanings and multiple others. The author knew that his target audience would not be specialized in bioengineering and its application in the medicine industry. He exploited this vulnerability of theirs by using scientific terms like “formulaic”, “clinically”, “suicidal ideation” and “cardiac hypertrophy” throughout the essay. This usage of jargon (Carroll, 2012) accompanied by him acting as an expert persuades the reader to believe in his writing.
With a New York bestseller book (The Language of God) already under his belt, Dr. Collins is no stranger to the book writing process. The second to a series of books named “The language of…”; “The Language of Life” is the first one to focus on the theme of personalized medicine in the modern world. Both “The language of God” and “The Language of Science and Faith” focus on reconciliate science and religion, from a scientist stand point.
Cancer has been an active concern in our society for the past couple decades, since we truly discovered the nature of cancer and the potency it brings along with it. However, it was not until the mid-20th century that scientists were beginning to truly understand the origin of cancer. Scientists dating back all the way to the Renaissance, when they first began performing autopsies to learn more about the human body and form, noticed abnormalities but it never clicked that it was something much worse than it seemed. Research has continued since then, and it has continued to thrive even to this day. When James Watson and Francis Crick discovered DNA and it’s chemical structure in 1962, it opened up doors that even they could not expect. With the understanding of DNA and how it affected the way we look at life, came the beginning of the understanding of mutated DNA (which is a cause of the growth of cancerous cells). In this past century, researching scientists discovered that cancer is linked with the DNA that resides in a cell’s nucleus. By ways of damage to the cells via chemicals or radiation, or even introduction of a new DNA, the cancerous cells begin to form and duplicate. We are learning more and more about cancer and how to fight it, but we still have much more to learn.
As a cancer clinic volunteer, the daughter of an oncologist, the friend of a breast cancer survivor, and a biological enthusiast, I find the medical field of cancer and its impacts on health fascinating. The human body is so complex, yet, so fragile at the same time and I hope that through this exploration, I will witness how mathematics plays a role in science and more specifically physiology.
I have elected to transcribe my proposal argument on issues regarding cancer chemoprevention. I selected this topic because reasonably minute devotion has been given to cancer chemoprevention research in ethical writings, particularly in relation to the huge quantity of moral studies in cancer treatment exploration. Cancer chemoprevention trials test the ability and care of medicinal agents in averting cancer before its manifestation. I believe that phase III chemoprevention issues can be less prevalent by simply ensuring enhanced communication and etiquette between researchers and investigators.
Acupuncture, ayurveda, chiropractice, homeopathy, meditation, osteopathy, and yoga are just a few of the many types of medicine practiced all over the world. According to the western establishment, all these forms of medicine are called alternative medicines. However, some of the aforementioned techniques have been in continuous use for over six thousand years, predating western medicine by over four thousand years. Yet, still many M.D.'s reject alternative forms of medicine. One of the buzzwords in medicine in recent years has been "holistic medicine". Physicians are becoming more aware of the need to treat the whole patient rather than just certain symptoms. Due to this realization, a small percentage of doctors are turning to ancient forms of medicine as a guide to alternative treatments. As alternative forms of medicine emerge in the western world, Christian scientists need to determine the moral, religious, and scientific validity of such techniques in order to gain a more holistic approach to medicine.
Li, Y., Wicha, M. S., Schwartz, S. J., & Sun, D. (2011, February 4). Implications of Cancer Stem Cell Theory for Cancer Chemoprevention by Natural Dietary Compounds. Retrieved December 12, 2013, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3248810/
In today’s world, many people assume that the latest medical technology and treatments are always the best option. However, all over the world, different techniques for curing diseases and aliments are being used. These methods fall under the category of complementary and alternative medicine.
8. Flecknell, Paul. “Replacement, Reduction, Refinement.” Comparative Biology Centre, Medical School, University of Newcastle. 2 March 2012. Presentation at a symposium "Use of animals in research: a science-society controversy?" Doerenkamp-Zbinden-Foundation.
The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee is an in-depth analysis of the history of cancer. The book discusses the beginning stages of cancer when it was merely a confusing phenomenon for doctors that occurred for over a century. For example, "Childhood leukemia had fascinated, confused, and frustrated doctors for more than a century. The disease had been analyzed, classified, sub-classified, and divided meticulously” (Mukherjee 12). Mukherjee is a passionate physician and displays this in his work as a cancer researcher. Mukherjee book consists of his professional experiences working at the Dana-Farber
In terms of what is looked for in the Biomedical model, it is believed that there is one aetiology of the disease or illness exhibited in the patient who is then treated as a passive host of the illness where only the medical technology provided by the medical practitioner can hope to cure or at least care for the patient. While at one point in time this method of treatment seemed apt due to the knowledge of the world of that period, it is not a holistic approach of intervention because the main thought behind this model, as discussed by G. L. Engel (1977:129), is that because a disease or illness is characterized by “somatic parameters, physicians need not be concerned with psychosocial issues which lie outside medicine’s responsibility and authority.” This implies that following the Biomedical model, medical practitioners do not take into account the living situations, economic standpoints, racial, gender and ethical viewpoints or the community involvement factor of the patient seeking help.
...patient's recovery time, requiring less hospitalization and making more hospital beds available (http://www.reflexology.org/aor/refinfo/adv9701.htm). Reflexology is best used as an aid to modern treatment.
It has been difficult to develop an accurate definition for cancer. The reputed British oncologist Willis has defined cancer as "an abnormal mass of tissue, the growth of which exceeds and is uncoordinated with that of the normal tissues and persists in the same excessive manner after cessation of the stimuli which evoked the change" (Cotran et al., 1999).
Steinbock, Bonnie, Alex J. London, and John D. Arras. "The Principles Approach." Ethical Issues in Modern Medicine. Contemporary Readings in Bioethics. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. 36-37. Print.
In this paper I will be discussing the two most prevalent models of health. These two models of health are not, of course, total opposites. Similar to terms such as gay and straight they are two definitive labels placed upon a broad spectrum that is hardly definitive. There exists in this case as well a large clouded middle between the two limiting labels. These are collections of thoughts about how to go about continuing life. These two paradigms in modern healthcare I hope will one-day come to know one another. For now let us say that in generally speaking there are two different approaches or models of medicine and they are allopathic and holistic. Allopathic is another term for our modern western medicine, which in the United States is the dominant one and the one most familiar to the masses. The other, the holistic model, also known as alternative, is commonly associated with older ideas that originated in the East.