https://gregladen.com/blog/2008/02/12/what-is-a-disease/ Mon, 09 Mar 2009 06:53:56 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.6 https://gregladen.com/blog/2008/02/12/what-is-a-disease/#comment-3880 Mon, 09 Mar 2009 06:53:56 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2008/02/12/what-is-a-disease/#comment-3880 I’ve only just discovered the ‘Ask a scienceblogger’ section, and thus this post, which is a shame because it’s really very good.You just made me think about ‘disease’ in a whole different way, and it makes so much sense.Have you written a follow up about the viruses? I’d like to see that too.

]]> https://gregladen.com/blog/2008/02/12/what-is-a-disease/#comment-3879 Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:46:38 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2008/02/12/what-is-a-disease/#comment-3879 Sometimes semantics are important. We could start by distinguishing pathogens from the pathological conditions which they can cause. Next, we could distinguish conditions that predispose one to dysfunction from the dysfunctional states to which one is so predisposed. As soon as we draw such distinctions, it becomes obvious that ordinary linguistic practices won’t underwrite rigorous definitions.

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