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Curing and Healing: Two Goals of Medicine

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Book cover Handbook of the Philosophy of Medicine

Abstract

This chapter will begin by signaling potential problems with the dichotomy between curing and healing. It continues to explore three different ways of thinking about the dichotomy: rational vs. irrational, the meaning of curing and healing as experienced by patients and practitioners, and the relationship between curing and healing in the practice of medical care. It is argued that while the distinction between curing and healing is not a universal one, as it is based on a Western distinction between disease and illness, both curing and healing require taking responsibility for the well-being of the vulnerable patient.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Warsaw, Poland

    Dorota Szawarska

Authors
  1. Dorota Szawarska
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Correspondence to Dorota Szawarska .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom

    Thomas Schramme

  2. Philosophy, History and Law, Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom

    Steven Edwards

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Szawarska, D. (2017). Curing and Healing: Two Goals of Medicine. In: Schramme, T., Edwards, S. (eds) Handbook of the Philosophy of Medicine. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8688-1_59

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