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On May 13-15, 1982, some 50 scientists and scholars - physicians, philos ophers and social scientists - convened at Hasselby Castle in Stockholm for the first Nordic Symposium on the Philosophy of Medicine. The topics for the symposium included (1) the concepts of health and disease, (2) classification in medicine, and (3) causality and causal explanations in medicine. The majority of the participants were Scandinavian but the symposium was also able to welcome four distinguished guests from other parts of the world, Professors Stuart F. Spicker and H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., U.S.A., Dr Anne M. Fagot, France, and Dr Werner Morbach, West Germany. The latter represented Professor Kazem Sadegh-zadeh, who unfortunately was prevented from attending. One of the main purposes of this symposium was to bring together people in Scandinavia who at present work within the field of Philosophy of Medi cine. This group is still relatively small but is growing rapidly, and the scholarly activity has recently been notable. This fact is clearly demonstrated by the presentation of 'Philosophy of Medicine in Scandinavia' in the Appendix of this volume.
List of contents
Section I / On the Concepts of Health and Disease.- An Equilibrium Model of Health.- Comments on Pörn's 'An Equilibrium Model of Health'.- On the Circle of Health.- Comments on Nordenfelt's 'On the Circle of Health'.- Clinical Problems and the Concept of Disease.- Comments on Engelhardt's 'Clinical Problems and the Concept of Disease'.- Health and Disease from the Point of View of the Clinical Laboratory.- Section II / On Definition and Classification in Medicine.- A Critique of Essentialism in Medicine.- Comments on Jensen's 'A Critique of Essentialism in Medicine'.- Psychiatric Classification: The Status of So-Called "Diagnostic Criteria".- Comments on Malmgren's 'Psychiatric Classification: The Status of So-Called "Diagnostic Criteria"'.- Section III / On Causal Thinking in Medicine.- A. Causal Analysis.- Criteria of Causal Association in Epidemiology.- Comments on Ahlbom's 'Criteria of Causal Association in Epidemiology'.- About Causation in Medicine: Some Shortcomings of a Probabilistic Account of Causal Explanations.- B. Causal Selection.- Models of Causation in Epidemiology.- On the Selection of Causes of Death: An Analysis of WHO's Rules for Selection of the Underlying Cause of Death.- Disease from a Historical and Social Point of View: Some Remarks Based on the Needs of Preventive Medicine.- Comments on Larsen's 'Disease from a Historical and Social Point of View'.- The Causal Basis of the Current Disease Classification.- Comments on Wulff's 'The Causal Basis of the Current Disease Classification'.- What is a Genetic Disease? On the Relative Importance of Causes.- Comments on Hesslow's 'What is a Genetic Disease?'.- C. Causal Explanation.- A Pragmatic Concept of Causal Explanation.- Comments onSadegh-zadeh's 'A Pragmatic Concept of Causal Explanation'.- D. Other Topics on Causality.- Holistic Medicine as a Method of Causal Explanation, Treatment, and Prevention in Clinical Work: Obstacle or Opportunity for Development?.- Causes, Effects, and Side Effects: Choosing Between the Better and the Best.- Notes on the Philosophy of Medicine in Scandinavia.- Notes on Contributors.
