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Philosophy, Epidemiology, and Cerebral Palsy Causation

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Cerebral Palsy

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Abstract

In this chapter, I explore ideas from current philosophy of science in the context of cerebral palsy causation. Russo and Williamson suggest that causal claims in the health sciences require both difference-making (statistical) and mechanistic evidence. A recent account offered by Mumford and Anjum conceives of causation as the predisposition toward an effect. I review multiple aspects of this theory that would fit very well with our current concept of cerebral palsy causation. Dupré’s theory of biological causation as a biological process is well aligned with the etiological model of causative factors that initiate the pathogenetic mechanism that culminates in clinical disease. Finally, I suggest to integrate the traditional epidemiological list of causal considerations provided by Hill in 1965 with Poston’s recent explanatory coherentist theory.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/etiology; accessed 2/19/2016

  2. 2.

    http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/etiology; accessed 2/19/2016

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

    Olaf Dammann M.D., S.M. (Epi.)

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  1. Olaf Dammann M.D., S.M. (Epi.)
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Correspondence to Olaf Dammann M.D., S.M. (Epi.) .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Paediatric Neurology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Division of Paediatric Neurology, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Christos P. Panteliadis

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Dammann, O. (2018). Philosophy, Epidemiology, and Cerebral Palsy Causation. In: Panteliadis, C. (eds) Cerebral Palsy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67858-0_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67858-0_4

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