Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T19:04:08.319Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The concepts of disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

F. Kräupl Taylor
F. Kräupl Taylor*
Affiliation:
Emeritus Physician, Bethlem Royal and Maudsley Hospitals, London
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr F. Kräupl Taylor, 22 Redington Rd, London NW3 7RG.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Synopsis

Concepts of disease have often been influenced by mediaeval scholasticdoctrines. Today these are best replaced by the premises of modern class logic. One of the basic problems then concerns the universal class of patients. Its solution depends on the answer to the question: What are the distinguishing attributes of this class? Scadding stipulated that these attributes must differ from the norm of a species and be associated with biological disadvantage. This paper argues that these attributes must be abnormal by the standards of a population and/or the norms of an individual, and must be associated with at least one of three criteria: (a) therapeutic concern for himself experienced by a person, (b) such concern for him experienced by his social environment, and (c) medical concern for him. This solution, though based on subjective criteria, seems to tally with the actual practice in diagnosing disease.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 10 , Issue 3 , August 1980 , pp. 419 - 424
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1980

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Asher, R. (1959). Making sense. Lancet ii, 359–365.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SirBannister, Roger (1978). Brain's Clinical Neurology. Oxford University Press: Oxford.Google Scholar
Birch, J. (1979). A misconception concerning the meaning of ‘disease’. British Journal of Medical Psychology 52, 367–375.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
British Medical Journal (1979). Leading article; ii, 751–752.Google Scholar
Campbell, E. J. M., Scadding, J. G. & Roberts, R. S. (1979). The concept of disease. British Medical Journal ii, 757–762.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Copleston, F. (1950). A History of Philosophy Vol. 2, Augustine to Scotus. Search Press: London.Google Scholar
Copleston, F. (1953). A History of Philosophy Vol. 3, Ockham to Suárez. Search Press: London.Google Scholar
Feinstein, A. R. (1967). Clinical Judgment. Williams & Wilkins: Baltimore.Google Scholar
Gross, R. & Wichmann, H. E. (1979). Was ist eigentlich ‘normal’? Medizinische Welt 30, 2–14.Google ScholarPubMed
Howells, J. G. (1976). Letter. British Journal of Psychiatry 128, 311–312.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jenner, F. A. & Mora, J. D. (1976). Letter. British Journal of Psychiatry 128, 207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kendell, R. E. (1975). The concept of disease and its implications for psychiatry. British Journal of Psychiatry 127, 305–315.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kneale, W. & Kneale, M. (1964). The Development of Logic. Clarendon Press: Oxford.Google Scholar
Latham, R. G. (1848). Thomas Sydenham: Works. Sydenham Society: London.Google Scholar
SirPopper, K.R. (1973). Objective Knowledge. An Evolutionary Approach. Clarendon Press: Oxford.Google Scholar
Probst, C. (1972). Der Weg des ärztlichen Erkennens am Krankenbett. Sudhoff Archiv Part 15. Franz Steiner: Wiesbaden.Google Scholar
Quine, W. V. (1961). Mathematical Logic. Harvard University Press: Cambridge, Mass.Google Scholar
Scadding, J. G. (1959). Principles of definition in medicine with special reference to chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Lancet i, 323–325.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scadding, J. G. (1963). Meaning of diagnostic terms in broncho-pulmonary disease. British Medical Journal ii, 1425–1430.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scadding, J. G. (1967). Diagnosis: the clinician and the computer. Lancet ii, 877–882.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sedgwick, P. (1973). Illness – mental and otherwise. Hastings Center Studies 3, 19–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shepherd, M. (1978). Section 18, Psychological Medicine. In Price's Textbook of the Practice of Medicine (ed. Scott, R. Bodley), pp. 1413–1426. Oxford University Press: London.Google Scholar
Singer, C. & Underwood, E. A. (1962). A Short History of Medicine. Clarendon Press: Oxford.Google Scholar
Taylor, F. Kräupl (1971). A logical analysis of the medico- psychological concept of disease. Part 1. Psychological Medicine 1, 356–364.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, F. Kräupl (1976). The medical model of the disease concept. British Journal of Psychiatry 128, 588–594.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, F. Kräupl (1979). The Concepts of Illness, Disease and Morbus. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.Google Scholar
Toon, P. D. (1976). Letter. British Journal of Psychiatry 128, 99.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Virchow, R. (1895). Hundert Jahre Allgemeiner Pathologie. August Hirschwald: Berlin.Google Scholar
Wullf, H. R. (1976). Rational Diagnosis and Treatment. Blackwell: Oxford.Google Scholar