[Nursing science and natural sciences. Critical notes on a difficult relationship as a starting point for its new...

This article deals with the question of how nursing, supported by its own science, can gain benefit from natural science disciplines, if it can be presupposed that such disciplines represent one of the most important bases of nursing science. In the context of this question it is necessary to ascertain the condition, which must be fulfilled by the natural sciences in order to be able to occupy the honorable position of a cognate discipline of nursing science. This position is elucidated on the background of following aspects: The fundamental relationship between nursing science and the natural science with regard to their traditional perspectives and scientific objectives is discussed and illuminated on the background of differing concepts of body and person. In a further elaboration of this theme the particular meaning of the concept of person for nursing action is taken up and on its bases an extension of nursing issues which should be further developed is devised. In conclusion some propositions are brought up for discussion.