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What is disease? In memory of Owsei Temkin
Bulletin of the History of Medicine
|October 3, 2003
Summary
This essay explores a contextual approach to understanding disease and medicine within society. It highlights the interplay of biological and cultural factors in shaping medical understanding and practice.
Area of Science:
- Medical Sociology
- History of Medicine
- Social Epidemiology
Background:
- Retrospective evaluation of Owsei Temkin's work reveals an implicit contextualist foundation.
- Historical contextualism emphasizes the dynamic nature of disease within societal frameworks.
Discussion:
- Disease categories are shaped by language and social practices, leading to their reification.
- Contemporary medicine exhibits a focus on diagnosis, bureaucratization, and boundary management in disease definition.
Key Insights:
- A contextual approach necessitates integrating both biological and cultural dimensions of disease.
- Understanding disease requires examining pathological theory alongside practical applications.
Outlook:
- Future research should further explore the socio-cultural construction of disease.
- This framework offers a nuanced perspective for analyzing medical practices and policies.