Research Paper on Philosophy of Medicine

Introduction

The field of medicine is one of the most ancient areas considering that it has lasted for as long as the earth and humans came into existence. It mainly involves the issues that are related to healing and health in general, and doctors and nurses as the most common people who have specialized in the field. Most of the activities that they carry out are meant to diagnose, treat, and prevent people from becoming sick. Besides that, many other activities that have been carried out are about conducting research with the aim of getting answers on how to handle various cases of sickness in ways that are effective. Emanating from the medicine is its philosophy, which is mainly concerned with the exploration of crucial issues in a theoretical manner, modes of medical practice and research in the field of health science, especially with the topics of epistemological and metaphysical topics.

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The roots of its history go way back to the ancient period, including when the Hippocratic Corpus was developed. The main essence of medicine philosophy is to have answers for the many controversies and debates that arise from concepts such as disease and the use of medicines. In addition to that, the contributions that it has made have helped in the various discussions on the aims and procedures involved when researching and practicing within the health and medical fields. In that case, in this paper, I argue that medical philosophy is the most fundamental aspect when it comes to the provision of answers that arise from the various controversial practices in the field of health, especially when focusing on the cardiology.

How Philosophy Defines Disease, Illness, and Sickness

Philosophy in medicine is fundamental considering that it guides medical experts on the various ways that they can carry out their medical activities. One of the major issues that arise is with regards to how this philosophy relates to the basic terms that entail disease and health. The obvious that happens is that when a person does not feel well, they seek for medical assistance from medical practitioners, who in turn act in ways which make sure that the person has their proper health restored (Thompson and Upshur 278). At the same time, seeking medical help does not necessarily mean that one is sick, considering that a pregnant woman or a person with high blood pressure may also look of a clinician. In that case, the line dividing the two concepts is very thin, considering that within the human population there are countless variations and the fact that it is also not clear as to the social construct that is associated with the definition of disease. The issue is made to be more complicated from the fact that the two terms are used in aspects that are evaluative and descriptive among lay people and people within the medical profession (Thompson and Upshur 283).

Investigating these unique concepts is of great essence morally and epistemologically since the definitions have a great influence on the nature of how people seek to be treated medically. Besides that, it is crucial for society as it guides on how to regard people as ill and whether they have permission to get treated. A disease is a concept that allows for one to carry out an action where one seeks to correct a situation that is undesirable yet needs overcoming. In that case, the definition of health, disease and any related concepts is not only for the interest of philosophy and theory but also for reasons that are ethical in nature. In particular, the focus is on the understanding of medicine as a medium for promoting the well-being of people, and their social wellness which is also crucial for one living a life that is good (Thompson and Upshur 289).

Medical philosophy, therefore, informs of the fact that disease and illness are terms that are different yet they are always used by both professionals and laymen to imply the same thing. However, that is not the case as they have distinctive definitions. A disease is a condition which renders one to be uneasy in a particular part of the body or in its entirety. The term is a concept that is accepted universally, and it is useful considering that it permits for the focus on issues that affect the human body (Reiss and Ankeny). On the other hand, illness is used when referring to a condition that has features with no objectivity, including feelings of discomfort and agony that are subjective. From a cultural point of view, illness is used when talking about human traits that are undesired and unwanted, thereby leading to people of that specific culture to find help from personnel they deem as health providers within that context. It is also worth noting that earlier medical philosophers felt it crucial to elaborate on the issue of sickness, which is more on the social aspects that connected to ill health and any other particular condition that has no value as stipulated within the society. Situations that are regarded as diseases are meant to be investigated with the aim of understanding them scientifically so that they are prevented, corrected, and people who are sick from the same are placed under care. It is based on these philosophical concepts that various diseases were studied, including the cardiovascular ones, thereby coming up with better scientific ways of preventing and caring for those who suffer from the same (Reiss and Ankeny).

Philosophers Who Contributed to Medicine

Medicine as a field is wide and complex as many people have taken part in defining some of the concepts applied from the old ages to the modern era. However, some of the most crucial concepts originated before and within the middle ages, especially by scholars from Greece and Egypt. One such philosopher is Hippocrates who regarded as the "father of medicine." According to the writings of Plato, Hippocrates acquired his knowledge of medicine from his father, who had also gotten the same from his father. His lineage is considered to have a direct descent from Asclepios, the healing god of the Greeks (Cheng 173). One of the most distinguishing traits about him is the fact that he was the one who created a difference between medicine and philosophy, and scientific medicine and religion. The latter implied that he changed the thought process where people mainly relied on religion as a form of treatment. He pioneered the science of medicine which resulted in a change of realm from magic and superstition that many people relied upon for treatment. His philosophy, often termed as Hippocratic medicine relied on rationalism where one had to approach a patient with humane reasoning. This implied that treating a patient was as a whole and not only some of the body organs (Cheng 175).

When looking at his contribution to cardiovascular medicine, there are some writings he did on the heart where he did some descriptions on the organ. His teachings led to the description of the heart as one has four valves and chambers that are surrounded by muscles which are responsible for pumping blood around the body. However, there was no clear description of the difference between the veins and the arteries. He described the flow of blood around the body like a river which courses freely while passing numerous channels and then gets back to the source in some sort of loop. From the descriptions of the heart, Hippocrates was able to identify some cardiovascular disorders; including the fact obesity is a major risk factor for cardiac diseases. In particular, he recognized the coronary artery disease as one that emanates from one being obese by comparing life expectancies to those who are slender. The most amazing thing about this discovery is the fact that he noticed this pattern without the use of modern actuarial data (Cheng 177). It was for that matter he was a major criticizer of people who loved overeating. He warned that exercising needed to be done on empty stomachs and that doing contrary to that would put one at risk of dying faster. From his observations on the same and many other varying cases, he also described some situations of people having heart failure and sudden death. While most of what he wrote may have been expounded by others for clarity reasons, it is with no doubt that whatever he did has a great impact on the field of cardiovascular medicine (Cheng 180).

Aristotle is one other philosopher who made essential writings with regards to the medical field, as he did with many others. His worldview was crucial towards scientific research related to the human body and the different organs. Through his First Philosophy, he came up with four causes that worked as a manifestation of something. The first one was the body essence that was represented by the soul. Secondly was the body itself with the various organs that made the body as a whole. The third one was the creator of the body, mainly from the biological process of reproduction. The final bit constituted the bodily purpose which was more about an understanding of the soul (Misselbrook 545). The manner in which he viewed the human body in relation to the four causes acted as the basis of comprehending diseases, including those that affect the heart. Despite the fact that he did not view the causes independently, their interconnectedness provided a stronger basis for conducting scientific research in medicine, and in particular, understanding the working of the brain and the heart (Misselbrook 547).

Most of the readings from Aristotle originate from the knowledge that he acquired from Plato who had a school which allowed various scholars to learn on various disciplines, one of them being medicine. While he may have not contributed directly towards the scientific research of medicine, his main view of disease was on the fact that patients needed to be cared for, other than the usual treatment by physicians (Barnet 64). From his writings, he stated that people in the medical field needed to be more of caregivers who would create a society that is filled with goodness. The same knowledge is tied to the differences between sickness, illness, and disease, where doctors and nurses have to work towards ensuring that there is no sickness in the society, besides working to prevent and care for one who has a disease (Barnet 68).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the philosophy of medicine is all about making sure that people in the medical profession carry out their duties in ways that are ethical and that the main aim is to make one healthy. Health is essential for the existence of a person, and that is why receiving medical attention is a basic need. It is clear that philosophers like Hippocrates, Plato, and Aristotle recognized the need for medical care, and what they wrote led to most scientific studies that are ongoing in the modern era.

Works Cited

Barnet, Robert. "Plato On Medicine'S Role In Society: The Care Of The Elderly". The Linacre Quarterly, vol 56, no. 1, 1989, pp. 63-71. SAGE Publications, doi:10.1080/00243639.1989.11877998. Accessed 14 Apr 2019.

Cheng, Tsung O. "Hippocrates And Cardiology". American Heart Journal, vol 141, no. 2, 2001, pp. 173-183. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1067/mhj.2001.112490.

Misselbrook, David. "Aristotle, Hume And The Goals Of Medicine". Journal Of Evaluation In Clinical Practice, vol 22, no. 4, 2015, pp. 544-549. Wiley, doi:10.1111/jep.12371.

Reiss, Julian, and Rachel Ankeny. "Philosophy Of Medicine (Stanford Encyclopedia Of Philosophy)". Plato.Stanford.Edu, 2016, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/medicine/.

Thompson, R. Paul, and Ross E. G Upshur. Philosophy Of Medicine. 5th ed., Routledge, 2018, pp. 278-299.