Causality, Probability, and Medicine

Description

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 ever randomized controlled trial designed 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. CONTENTS......Page 7 PREFACE......Page 15 INTRODUCTION......Page 17 Part I......Page 1 1 Action related theory of causality......Page 33 2 General discussion of AIM theories......Page 46 3 Koch on bacterial disease......Page 61 4 MECHANISTIC THEORIES OFCAUSALITY AND CAUSALTHEORIES OF MECHANISM......Page 87 5 TYPES OF EVIDENCE (I) EVIDENCE OF MECHANISM......Page 106 6 TYPES OF EVIDENCE (II) STATISTICAL EVIDENCE IN HUMAN POPULATIONS......Page 118 7 COMBINING STATISTICAL AND MECHANISM EVIDENCE......Page 144 8 THE RUSSO-WILLIAMSON THESIS......Page 149 9 THE RUSSO-WHILLIAMSON THESIS （II）......Page 166 10 OBJECTIONS TO THE RUSSO-WILLIAMSON THESIS......Page 179 PART III CAUSALITY AND PROBABILITY......Page 209 12 INDETERMINISTICAUSALITY......Page 211 13 CAUSAL NETWORKS......Page 220 14 HOW SHOULD PROBABILITIES BE INTERPRETED......Page 241 15 PEARL'S ALTERNATIVE APPROACH......Page 252 16 EXTENSIONO F THE ACTION RELATED THEORY......Page 268 Appendix 1......Page 275 Appendix_2_Mathematical_terminology......Page 278 Glossary_of_medical_terms......Page 280 References......Page 295 Index......Page 306