[Buddha-l] Re: Medicine, Efficient Cause and Philosophy

[jkirk]

Coulter’s contribution is to have detected the two lines of thought I
mentioned in my first post on this topic, as far back as the *Corpus
Hippocraticum*:  an "earthy" empirical line, and an "airy"
rationalist-causalist line.  He supports the "earthy" line; some renowned
homeopaths support the "airy" line as a necessary complement to the "earthy"
line.

Katherine Masis
===================
And then there is acupuncture. 
This system does not seem to operate on the basis of mechanistic efficient
causality, but rather on a kind of ultimate causality, in the sense that any
time some procedure is being done, it operates in terms of a view of the
entire body together with its various sub-systems as envisioned by the texts
and the practice, and their mutual influences and linkages. So-called
holistic medicine tries to achieve a similar goal, but it hasn't been
accepted probably any better than homeopathy by majority contemporary
medical practice. 

A relative of mine is a DO (doctor of osteopathy). They receive the same
medical training that MDs receive, with the addition of body manipulations
according to the tenets of osteopathy. He is very open to herbal medicine,
keeps a current Herbal in his bookshelf at work, and I have had the
impression from him that he has nothing against acupuncture, either. Now
that Katherine has started this thread on homeopathy, I must ask him what he
thinks about it. 

Joanna K.


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