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Book Cover
E-book
Author Gillies, Donald, 1944- author.

Title Causality, probability, and medicine / Donald Gillies
Published London ; New York : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2019

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Description 1 online resource
Contents Cover; Half Title; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication Page; Vonka's Thomist Maxim:; Table of contents; Acknowledgements; Preface; Introduction; 0.1 Deterministic and indeterministic causality1; 0.2 AIM (Action, Intervention, Manipulation) theories of causality; 0.3 Mechanistic theories of causality; 0.4 Probabilistic theories of causality; Notes; Part I: Causality and action; Chapter 1: AN ACTION-RELATED THEORY OF CAUSALITY; 1.1 Russell's critique of the notion of cause; 1.2 Collingwood's AIM theory of causality; 1.3 Productive actions and avoidance actions; Notes
Chapter 2: GENERAL DISCUSSION OF AIM THEORIES OF CAUSALITY2.1 Gasking's contribution; 2.2 Objection 1. Some causes cannot be manipulated; 2.3 Objection 2. Causes exist independently of humans; 2.4 Objection 3. Unavoidable circularity; 2.5 Explanation of causal asymmetry; Chapter 3: An example from medicine: Koch's work on bacterial diseases and his postulates; 3.1 The background to Koch's work; 3.2 Koch's investigations of tuberculosis and cholera; 3.3 Koch's postulates; 3.4 Modification of the postulates in the light of the action-related theory of causality
3.5 Koch establishes that the comma bacillus is the cause of choleraNotes; Part II: Causality and mechanisms; Chapter 4: MECHANISTIC THEORIES OF CAUSALITY AND CAUSAL THEORIES OF MECHANISM; 4.1 The Dowe-Salmon theory of causality; 4.2 Criticism of the Dowe-Salmon theory of causality; 4.3 More general definitions of mechanism; 4.4 A causal theory of mechanisms in medicine; 4.5 The usefulness of postulating mechanisms for the confirmation of causal hypotheses and for discovering cures; 4.6 Causes, activities, and Anscombe; Note; Chapter 5: Types of evidence: (i) Evidence of mechanism
5.1 Confirmation and disconfirmation of causal hypotheses in medicine5.2 Two kinds of evidence; 5.3 Coronary heart disease (CHD); 5.4 An example of evidence of mechanism: Anitschkow's study of experimental atherosclerosis in rabbits; Notes; Chapter 6 Types of evidence: (ii) Statistical evidence in human populations; 6.1 Ancel Keys and the dangers of saturated fat; 6.2 An example of observational statistical evidence: The seven countries study; 6.3 The problem of confounders, and the disconfirmation of causal hypotheses; 6.4 Some further general points regarding the seven countries study
6.5 Examples of interventional statistical evidence: Some clinical trialsNote; Chapter 7: COMBINING STATISTICAL EVIDENCE WITH EVIDENCE OF MECHANISM; 7.1 Combining the results of Anitschkow, Dayton et al., and Keys et al.; 7.2 Strength through combining; Note; Chapter 8: The Russo-Williamson thesis: (i) Effects of smoking on health; 8.1 Statement of the Russo-Williamson thesis; 8.2 Some different views concerning the roles of statistical evidence and evidence of mechanism in medicine; 8.3 Smoking and lung cancer; 8.4 Smoking and heart disease: Is there a linking mechanism?
Summary Why is understanding causation so important in philosophy and the sciences? Should causation be defined in terms of probability? Whilst causation plays a major role in theories and concepts of medicine, little attempt has been made to connect causation and probability with medicine itself. Causality, Probability, and Medicine is one of the first books to apply philosophical reasoning about causality to important topics and debates in medicine. Donald Gillies provides a thorough introduction to and assessment of competing theories of causality in philosophy, including action-related theories, causality and mechanisms, and causality and probability. Throughout the book he applies them to important discoveries and theories within medicine, such as germ theory; tuberculosis and cholera; smoking and heart disease; the first everrandomizedcontrolled trialdesigned to test the treatment of tuberculosis; the growing area of philosophy of evidence-based medicine; and philosophy of epidemiology. This book will be of great interest to students and researchers in philosophy of science and philosophy of medicine, as well as those working in medicine, nursing and related health disciplines where a working knowledge of causality and probability is required
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Description based on print version record
Subject Causation.
Probabilities.
Causality
Probability
probability.
HEALTH & FITNESS -- Holism.
HEALTH & FITNESS -- Reference.
MEDICAL -- Alternative Medicine.
MEDICAL -- Atlases.
MEDICAL -- Essays.
MEDICAL -- Family & General Practice.
MEDICAL -- Holistic Medicine.
MEDICAL -- Osteopathy.
Causation
Probabilities
Form Electronic book
LC no. 2020691788
ISBN 9781317564287
1317564286
9781315735542
1315735547
9781317564294
1317564294
9781317564270
1317564278