The Elements of Diagnosis

Abstract

So far, we have been considering the concept of disease and the classification of diseases largely from a metaphysical standpoint. I have argued that diseases are socially constructed, but that this does not mean diseases are merely made up to suit our present fancy. Diseases, and biomedical problems in general, are constructed from facts and from values. We have looked at various ontological conceptions of disease and various nosologies. We have seen that foundational values are essential parts of the facts that constitute them, conceptual values are essential parts of our understanding of the concept of disease, and nosological values are necessary to classify various collections of facts as different kinds of diseases. Hence, in any biomedical problem there is an intimate connection between fact and value.