If a super-intelligent alien was to visit our planet and search for a scientific theory of illness, she might conclude the our prevailing theory consists of “sell the drugs” and “damn the consequences”. She might also know that the scientific theory of illness consists of:
Illness Theory #1: Every illness has a cause.
Definition: a PRIMARY or SIMPLE ILLNESS is an illness that has a single cause. A non-primary illness is an illness with more than one cause.
Definition: an UNHEALTHINESS is an imbalance (a deficiency or an excess) in healthiness that is not severe enough to be classified as an illness.
Definition: Healthiness is the opposite of unhealthiness. When healthiness increases, unhealthiness decreases. When unhealthiness increases, healthiness decreases.
Does our medical system have a theory of illness? You might be surprised to learn that there is no prevailing scientific theory of illness. There are many so-called theories of illness, but none that achieve the simple theoretical reality of a scientific theory. Illness seems to be everywhere in practice, but it is nowhere in theory.
Why is there no scientific theory of illness? Continue reading “A Scientific Theory of Illness” »