How medicine lost Consciousness - Part II

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 19th century western medicine has identified itself with the natural sciences and therefore with the worldview of the natural sciences. This natural science then led to great technical insight into and control of body processes and technical advances in diagnosis and management of diseases. However, it has also fundamentally influenced the understanding of the basic concepts of medicine such as patient, disease and therapy and, in this manner has had a decisive influence on the nature of clinical practice and medical research. It has specifically failed to give the clinician the tools to understand, the meaning of the illness for the patient and the role that these subjective meanings plays in diagnosis, therapy and, healing. This loss of consciousness is a major limiting factor of the model. The regaining of consciousness is a central, requirement for a transformed, clinical method,. The theoretical requirements which are necessary before a transformed clinical method and will be accepted by the profession for medical practice and research are defined as a new model of the nature of science and a new understanding of the structure of reality which can recognise consciousness as real.