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Defining Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

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Book cover Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

That the initial chapter of this book is on the definition of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) reflects not only the confusion that exists in the field of the obstructive airflow diseases [2], but also the confusion in nosology and definitions that has historically pervaded all of medicine. There is not even a generally accepted definition of the widely used term ‘disease’. In this essay, I shall first deal with the concept and definition of the term ‘disease’ and how it is generally used in medical discourse. I shall then turn to a treatment of the issues associated with the definition and use of the term ‘COPD’. Before proceeding, I would like to pay tribute to J.G. Scadding, whose thoughtful, rigorous work on the meaning of terms used in medicine, published over the last 3 decades, has helped enormously to clarify my thinking in this area [3–8].

‘Then you should say what you mean,’ the March Hare went on.

‘I do,’ Alice hastily replied; ‘at least — at least I mean what I say — that’s the same thing, you know.’

‘Not the same thing a bit!’ said the Hatter.

‘You might just as well say that “I see what I eat” is the same thing as “I eat what I see”!’

A Mad Tea Party Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carroll [1]

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Authors
  1. G. L. Snider
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Aintree Chest Clinic, Regional Thoracic Unit, Fazakerley Hospital, Longmoor Lane, Liverpool, L9 7AL, UK

    P. M. A. Calverley (Consultant Physician, Senior Fellow) (Consultant Physician, Senior Fellow)

  2. Department of Medicine, University of Liverpool, UK

    P. M. A. Calverley (Consultant Physician, Senior Fellow) (Consultant Physician, Senior Fellow)

  3. Department of Medicine, (Respiratory Division), Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK

    N. B. Pride (Consultant Physician, Professor of Respiratory Medicine) (Consultant Physician, Professor of Respiratory Medicine)

  4. Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London, UK

    N. B. Pride (Consultant Physician, Professor of Respiratory Medicine) (Consultant Physician, Professor of Respiratory Medicine)

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© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Snider, G.L. (1995). Defining Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. In: Calverley, P.M.A., Pride, N.B. (eds) Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-4525-9_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-4525-9_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-412-46450-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-4525-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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