Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-jr42d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T03:05:43.545Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Causal Explanations in Psychiatry: A Critique of Some Current Concepts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Per Dalén
Per Dalén*
Affiliation:
University of Göteborg Psychiatric Research Centre, St. Jörgen Hospital, Hisings Backa, Sweden
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

The rules known as Koch's postulates have served as invaluable guides to the discovery of the specific causes of various infectious diseases. It may safely be assumed that their influence has also been great on the methods of study in the field of non-infectious diseases. For example, with slight modification Koch's postulates may be applied to the study of diseases caused by poisons. But can they be modified and applied with profit in psychiatric research? This is an important problem, and it cannot be discussed without reference, explicit or implicit, to philosophical assumptions. In this paper some consequences of the philosophy of science of Sir Karl Popper will be tentatively explored.

Type
Theoretical
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 115 , Issue 519 , February 1969 , pp. 129 - 137
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1969 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bass, M. H. (1952). “Diseases of the pregnant woman affecting the offspring.” Adv. internal Med., 5, 15–58.Google Scholar
Bleuler, M. (1930). “Vererbungsprobleme bei Schizophrenen.” Z. ges. Neurol. Psychiat., 127, 321–388.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bleuler, M. (1931). “A contribution to the problem of heredity among schizophrenics.” J. nerv. ment. Dis., 74, 393–467.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bleuler, M. (1941). “Krankheitsverlauf, Persönlichkeit und Verwandtschaft Schizophrener.” Samml. psychiat. neurol. Einzeldarst., 16.Google Scholar
Bleyer, A. (1934). “Indications that mongoloid imbecility is a gametic mutation of depressive type.” Amer. J. Dis. Child., 47, 342–348.Google Scholar
Bollet, A. J. (1964). “On seeking the cause of disease.” Clin. Res., 12, 305–310.Google Scholar
Böök, J. A. (1953). “A genetic and neuropsychiatric investigation of a North Swedish population.” Acta genet. (Basel), 4, 1–100 and 345–414.Google Scholar
Dalen, P. (1965). “Family history, the electroencephalogram and perinatal factors in manic conditions.” Acta psychiat. Scand., 41, 527–563.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dalen, P. (1967). “Psychiatry: empirical or rational?” Lancet, ii, 217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eccles, J. C. (1964). “The neurophysiological basis of experience.” In The Critical Approach to Science and Philosophy: Essays in Honor of Karl R. Popper: Ed. Bunge, M., New York and London, Macmillan.Google Scholar
Edwards, J. H. (1960). “The simulation of mendelism.” Acta genet. (Basel), 10, 63–70.Google Scholar
Espinasse, P. G. (1942). “The polygene concept.” Nature, 149, 732.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gerard, K. (1962). “Studies on metrazol-flicker threshold in schizophrenia.” Neurol. Neurochir. Psychiat. Polska, 12, 247–253.Google Scholar
Gottesman, I. I., and Shields, J. (1967). “A polygenic theory of schizophrenia.” Proc. nat. Acad. Sci., 58, 199–205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gregory, I. (1960). “Genetic factors in schizophrenia.” Amer. J. Psychiat., 116, 961–972.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hallgren, B., and Sjögren, T. (1959). “A clinical and genetico-statistical study of schizophrenia and lowgrade mental deficiency.” Acta psychiat. (Kbh.), Suppl. 140.Google Scholar
Jenkins, R. L. (1933). “Etiology of mongolism.” Amer. J. Dis. Child., 45, 506–519.Google Scholar
Jus, A. et al. (1966). “The photo-metrazol threshold in schizophrenics with a family record of schizophrenia.” Neurol. Neurochir. Psychiat. polska, 16, 1339–1345.Google Scholar
Kringlen, E. (1967). Heredity and Environment in the Functional Psychoses. Oslo, Universitetsforlaget, and London, Heinemann.Google Scholar
Lewis, A. (1967). “Empirical or rational? The nature and basis of psychiatry.” Lancet, ii, 1–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lilienfeld, A. M. (1959). “‘On the methodology of investigations of aetiologic factors in chronic diseases' —Some comments.” J. chron. Dis., 10, 41–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luxenburoer, H. (1935). “Untersuchungen an schizophrenen Zwillingen und ihren Geschwistern.” Z. ges. Neurol. Psychiat., 154, 351–394.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maricq, H. R. (1963). “Familial schizophrenia as defined by nailfold capillary pattern and selected psychiatric traits.” J. nerv. ment. Dis., 136, 216–226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Medawar, P. B. (1963). “Is the scientific paper a fraud?” The Listener, September 12, 377–378. Also in Saturday Review, 47, August 1 (42), 1967.Google Scholar
Medawar, P. B. (1967a). The Art of the Soluble. London: Methuen.Google Scholar
Medawar, P. B. (1967b). “Scientific method.” The Listener, 78, 453–456.Google Scholar
Meehl, P. E. (1967). “Theory-testing in psychology and physics: a methodological paradox.” Philos. Sci., 34, 103–115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Merrell, D. J. (1951). “Inheritance of manic-depressive psychosis.” Arch. Neurol. Psychiat. (Chic), 66, 272–279.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mitsuda, H. (1957). “Klinisch-erbbiologische Untersuchung der endogenen Psychosen.” Acta genet. (Basel), 7, 371–377.Google Scholar
Mitsuda, H. (1967). “Clinico-genetic study of schizophrenia.” Bull. Osaka med. Sch., Suppl. 12, 49–90.Google Scholar
Neel, J. V. (1955). “On some pitfalls in developing an adequate genetic hypothesis.” Amer. J. hum. Genet., 7, 1–14.Google Scholar
Popper, K. R. (1959). The Logic of Scientific Discovery. New York, Basic Books, and London, Hutchinson.Google Scholar
Popper, K. R. (1963a). Conjectures and Refutations. London, Routledge.Google Scholar
Popper, K. R. (1963b). “Science: problems, aims, responsibilities.” Feder. Proc., 22, 961–972.Google Scholar
Rosanoff, A. J. (1936). “Some problems in obstetrics discussed from a neuro-psychiatric standpoint.” J. nerv. ment. Dis., 83, 135–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenthal, D. (1959). “Some factors associated with concordance and discordance with respect to schizophrenia in monozygotic twins.” J. nerv. ment. Dis., 129, 1–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sartwell, Ph. E. (1960). “‘On the methodology of investigations of etiologic factors in chronic diseases' —Further comments.” J. chron. Dis., 11, 61–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schulz, B. (1933). “Zur Erbpathologie der Schizophrenie.” Z. ges. Neurol. Psychiat., 143, 175–293.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schulz, B. (1934). “Versuch einer genealogischstatistischen Überprüfung eines Schizophreniematerials auf biologische Einheitlichheit.” Z. ges. Neurol. Psychiat., 151, 145–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schulz, B. and Leonhard, K. (1940). “Erbbiologischklinische Untersuchungen an Schizophrenien.” Z. ges. Neurol. Psychiat., 168, 587–613.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shields, J. (1967). “The genetics of schizophrenia in historical context.” In Recent Developments in Schizophrenia (Brit. J. Psychiat. Spec. Publ.).Google Scholar
Slater, E. (1958). “The monogenic theory of schizophrenia.” Acta genet. (Basel), 8, 50–56.Google Scholar
Slater, E. (1966). “Expectation of abnormality on paternal and maternal sides: a computational model.” J. med. Genet., 3, 159–161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slater, E. Beard, A. W., and Guthero, E. (1963). “The schizophrenia-like psychoses of epilepsy.” Brit. J. Psychiat., 109, 95–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tsuang, M. T. (1967). “A study of pairs of sibs both hospitalized for mental disorder.” Brit. J. Psychiat., 113 283–300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waardenburg, P. J. (1932). Das menschliche Auge und seine Erbanlagen. The Hague, Nijhoff.Google Scholar
Weinberg, I., and Lobstein, J. (1943). “Inheritance in schizophrenia.” Acta psychiat. (Kbh.), 18, 93–140.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Welner, J., and Strömgren, E. (1958). “Clinical and genetic studies on benign schizophreniform psychoses.” Acta psychiat. (Kbh.), 33, 377–399.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WHO Scientific Group (1966). “Research on genetics in psychiatry.” WHO techn. Rep. Ser., 346.Google Scholar
WHO Study Group (1959). “Report of WHO study group of schizophrenia.” Amer. J. Psychiat., 115, 865–872.Google Scholar
Wisdom, J. O. (1967). “Testing an interpretation within a session.” Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 48, 44–52.Google Scholar
Woodmansey, A. C. (1967). “Science and the training of psychiatrists.” Brit. J. Psychiat., 113, 1035–1037.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yamada, T. (1960). “Heterogeneity of schizophrenia as demonstrable in electro-cncephalography.” Bull. Osaka med. Sch., 6, 107–146.Google Scholar
Yerushalmy, J., and Palmer, C. E. (1959). “On the methodology of investigations of etiologic factors in chronic diseases.” J. chron. Dis., 10, 27–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zerbin-Rüdin, E. (1967). “Endogene Psychosen.” In Humangenetik; ein kurzes Handbuch, Ed. : Becker, P. E., Vol. V/2, 446–577. Stuttgart: Thieme.Google Scholar
Zuelzer, W. W. (1967). “Who has the last word? A look at pediatric pathology.” Pediatrics, 39, 783–790.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.