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Ultrasonography of the Adult Male Urinary Tract for Urinary Functional Testing
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Quetelet, the average man and medical knowledge.

Sandra Caponi1

  • 1Departamento de Sociologia e Ciências Políticas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, FlorianópolisSC, Brasil, sandracaponi@gmail.com.

Historia, Ciencias, Saude--Manguinhos
|August 24, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Adolphe Quetelet

Area of Science:

  • Social Sciences
  • History of Science
  • Statistics

Background:

  • Adolphe Quetelet's theory of the 'average man' linked biological and social normality to characteristic frequency in populations.
  • Quetelet's work utilized explanatory strategies from physics and astronomy, alongside theological and religious discursive methods.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze Adolphe Quetelet's theory of the 'average man' using his seminal works, 'Sur l'homme et le développement de ses facultés' and 'Du systeme social et des lois qui le régissent'.
  • To investigate the interdisciplinary influences, including scientific and religious, on Quetelet's statistical approach to social phenomena.

Main Methods:

  • Textual analysis of Adolphe Quetelet's two key books.
  • Examination of the conceptual frameworks and rhetorical strategies employed by Quetelet.

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Main Results:

  • Quetelet's theory of the 'average man' integrated concepts from natural sciences (physics, astronomy) and humanities (theology, religion).
  • The stability of statistical means, contrasted with individual variations, formed the foundation for applying statistics in social sciences and medicine.

Conclusions:

  • Quetelet's 'average man' concept highlights an early attempt to quantify social and biological normality using statistical methods.
  • The study underscores the diverse intellectual origins informing the development of social statistics and its foundational principles.