Scientific Biomedical Paradigm

I'm studying for a pharmacology final and am reviewing key terms that I came across during the semester. This one eluded me and I was wondering what you think of this comment/definition.

The scientific biomedical paradigm, is the one most familiar to health care providers educated in the United States. The basic tenet of this health care system is that all disease has a cause. Even when the causative factors are unknown, scientific research can be directed toward finding a cure.

 

I'm not really sure what you're asking...

The idea that all disease has a cause is a relatively new paradigm, because up until the 1800s people still thought they were the result of demons, curses, and other supernatural things.

 

Even then, the demons, spirits, whatever were thought to be the CAUSE of the disease, no?

They may not have had the benefit of modern science in finding the causative agent, the idea of CAUSATION was still there. Even in non-western systems of medicine, disease has a CAUSE, be it an "imbalance of energies", "psychic blocks", or what have you.

The definition sounds pretty screwy to me.

 

Even in today's western culture, a sizeable number believe disease has a cause that can be an imbalance of energies, psychic blocks, satanic spirits, etc.

 

Yeah, and lots of people believe in homeopathy, too, and spend $$$ for nothing but milk sugar and distilled water.

Did you hear about the homeopath who forgot to take their "medicine", and died of a massive overdose?

 

whats wrong with satanic spirits? Even today there are reported cases of possession, whos to say. If the bible is true then possession must happen. A strange view point for a physicist who is essentially atheist much of the time, i know but something I find interesting. Probably because its so far removed from my day to day work, and all it takes is for the bible to be true, which for a large portion of people isn't in question anyway.

 

Umm, modern science is to say. Modern science has discovered bacteria that cause disease, viruses that cause disease, radiation that causes disease, but never in all of modern medical history has a satanic spirit been found to cause disease.

*ALL* it takes is for the Bible to be true? You say that like its almost a given. All it takes is for an invisible man in the sky to create the universe specificially for mankind 6000 years ago, flood the earth and leave no evidence behind, and to manifest himself in physical form to rise from the dead? Is that all it takes?

For a large portion of people it isn't in question...yeah well, there are a lot more non-Christians in the world than Christians. Whatever religion you are, there's more people in the world that say you're wrong than say you're right.

 

The last scientist who wet out to write a book disproving the resurection ended up writing a book proving the resurection. Did the great flood ever happen? Nope I think we can say it didn't and the cause of that legend is almost a certainly a massive flood of the Euphrates in Samarian times. In which a rich merchant was caried away on his boat and survived off his cargo of food for weeks before setting down. His name translated roughly as Noah into Hebrew, I can't remember the details but its long those lines. As for the entire world being created 6000 years ago unliekly as Chinese literature pre-dates that by a wide margin much to the dissapointment of the late Mr Usher. However is it any more plausible that a supreme being made the universe then then the entire of everything blew of of an infinitessimily small point. Especially when you consider that the tradionial spiel is that 'it makes no sense to think about what the universe is expanding in to'. The big bang theory doesnt answer anything, it just postpones asking the question of where the universe came from. Finally consider quantum theory, where every system is in an indeterminate state until that state is 'observed' according to that very theory something must be 'observing' the universe for anything to exist. Thats not some crackpot theory its a more disturbing outcome of quantum mechanics.
Oh and I'm an atheist, so in a way I don't believe anything I just wrote, but it is disturbing that as scientists we seem to push away questions we don't like as 'undefined' or 'meaningless' its not the question we don't like its the fact that it implies an answer we really dont like.

 

Although I feel that those who wrote the Bible included quite a few extra words when they translated and then wrote the books of the bible from the symbols carved on a stick, (which is where the biblical stories originated)... is it True?

I read one of the major religion's diatribe on fossils. That they were left here by God to confound us 6,000 years ago. Yeah, right. Age of the Earth - 3.4 billion years.

There is something in the bible for everyone with a motive to perpetrate something on someone else. Just keep paging through it, you'll find that God really is on your side after all.

Some of the geological events discribed within that book smack of events turned history, history turned legend, and legend turned myth.

After the last Ice Age the sea level rose 400 feet. I'd call that a Great Flood. And who knows how many centers of ancient civilizations lie buried beneath the sand and detritus on the shelves of all the continents.

I find that I only believe in what I can fully understand. And the only thing that I can fully understand is myself. Everything else is up for grabs.

And although I am scientifically oriented and spend a great deal of my time with scientists, one things stands out clearly in my mind... Those scientists and physicists who stand on the shoulders of giants, do so with all the awe and imagination of a child.

The only way to come to a truly front running theory is to travel there through your imagination.