Mind-body dualism is Descartes’ defining impact on modern thought. According to him, human beings consisted of two unlike substances: the immaterial, thinking mind and the material, unthinking body. This was a critical leap towards the birth of modern medicine. Descartes’ mind-body dualism demythologized body and handed it over to the study of medicine. Thus, the way was paved for progress in medical science through the study of anatomy and physiology. Through a better understanding of human physiology and organ systems, new medical therapies flourished, greatly extended average lifetime years, and many terminal illnesses were reduced to easily treatable conditions.
At the same time, by isolating the mind, mind-body dualism denied the significance of the mind in health. This is an issue because this sometimes leads a dangerously incomplete and distorted view of the central subject matter in medicine: human beings. By adhering to the scientific method, the world of medicine mislaid its subject matter and gave up moral responsibility toward the real health concerns of human beings.
As dualism infiltrated the medical world, human beings were viewed as biological organisms that could be understood by examining their constituent parts through the principles of anatomy, physiology, and science. Disease was a deviation from biological norms, caused by a faulty biochemical reaction that could be fixed through a corrective chemical agent.
Dualism in medicine is being questioned today. There is an emergence of diseases that have psychological, social and environmental components as part of their “pathophysiology.” Physicians who have been taught in Cartesian medical terminology have difficulty dealing with these circumstances. Medical school’s focus on the human body addresses disease with disregard for illness: the personal, cultural, and interpersonal reactions to disease. But as freedom from illness is just as, if not more, important than relief from physical ailments, patient and family’s dissatisfaction with contemporary medicine is growing. A large part of this dissatisfaction is undoubtedly due to the cold, impersonal, technical clinical practice shaped by the Cartesian notion that the body is of a machine void of self. Increasing resort to alternative practices and consumer criticism with the current medical model reinforces the inadequacy to treat a patient’s suffering.
Despite these flaws in Cartesian thought medicine, it is still very much dominant in modern society. Pharmaceutical companies rely on dualism to keep their business going, as they are reliant on the belief that the human body is nothing but a series of biochemical reactions. Medical school is also framed upon this 300 year old view. Physicians, new and old, are dedicated Cartesians; most of them without even realizing it. Patients also perpetuate the mind-body dualism. Being a product of modern dualistic culture, they tend to feel skeptical about nonbiological explanations for their illnesses, as they appear unreal, illegitimate and unscientific.
So where do I, a hopeful medical student, a Physiology major, a dedicated science studies student, stand on this issue? I am only excited by my awareness of this dilemma. Mind-body dualism and its influence on medicine is, without a doubt, a great journey of great strides forwards and a huge leap backwards. And I am looking forward, more than ever, to taking an active part in this journey.
You made a really interesting point of discussing dualism in terms of modern medicine. As you said,it seems to be only a recent trend that psychological and mental health is seen to have correlations to physical health as well. This dualism immediately brought to mind my mother, who is convinced a few years back that her physical illness (breast cancer) was in large part brought on and made worse by the fact that she was having emotional and mental struggles at the same time. She has always been a big believer in the fact that mental health most certainly affects physical health and I have to admit, that I think she is right. I believe that the more we start researching how maybe the body and the mind aren't as disconnected as once thought, we can make even greater leaps in medical progress and success.
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