A Philosophical History of Western Medicine

This book provides an historical and philosophical overview of Western medicine along with commentary about how past principles affect current problems in biomedicine like genetic engineering, transhumanism, and a commitment to environmentalism. The book spans Ancient, Hippocratic and Galenic texts, Medieval writings, Modern contributions, and contemporary discoveries in the history and philosophy of medicine, including the growing role of technology in the practice of medicine. This book is of essential reading material for scholars and students interested in the history and philosophy of science as it relates to medicine, as well as those interested in the normative consequences of the study of nature for our contemporary world, particularly as it relates to medicine, environmental ethics, and genetic engineering.

Introduction. - PART ONE: THE ANCIENT WESTERN WORLD. - 1. The Beginnings . - 2. The Hippocratic Contribution
. -
3.

Plato s
Timaeus
. - 4. Aristotle . - 5. Concluding with Galen . - PART

TWO:

The Medieval, Modern, and Contemporary Worlds. -

6. The New Paradigm: Changes leading up to the Seventeenth Century and Beyond. - 7. Evolution, Germ Theory, and their Consequences . - 8. Nature Split: Big Nature and Little Nature . - 9. Technology and Nature: A Marriage or a Divorce? . - Appendix: Health as Self-Fulfilment . - Bibliography. - Index.