medical scientists can remove Substance Y from the body of a person with
Disease X they will cure them of the disease. Consequently they devise a
procedure that removes Substance Y from the
body. They then seek to test
this cure for Disease X. This test rests on a deductive syllogism that takes the
following form:
Components
Relationships
Major Premise
Substance Y is the continuing cause of Disease X.
Minor Premise
This medical procedure removes Substance Y.
Conclusion
Therefore this procedure cures Disease X.
Figure 13.1 Syllogism: Logic of Relations
When the testing has been done on a number of subjects there are three
possible outcomes from the perspective of scientific method. First, in all cases
in the experiment the removal of Substance Y did not cure the disease. This
destroys or falsifies the conclusion. It indicates the Substance Y on its own is
not a cure for Disease X.
Second, there is a mixed result. Some patients are cured and some are not. In
this case the medical scientists need to continue investigating and seek to
explain why the procedure worked in some cases but not others. There are
two obvious lines of inquiry. (i) Substance Y plays a part in Disease X but
there is some other factor or variable at work as well. (ii) Disease X can,
sometimes at least, have a psychosomatic cause. For example, when the
experimental procedure was performed by a charming doctor and some
attentive nurses, some of the patients felt wanted and cared for. Thus there
was a change of mood that alleviated their mental distress. This removed the
psychosomatic cause of Disease X and thus cured them of this disease.
Third, in every case the removal of Substance Y cured the disease.
403
In this
case the test has corroborated the validity of the cure. It has not absolutely
proved that the procedure of removing Substance Y is a cure but it has given
some strength to the notion.
Assume in this case where the procedure has cured the disease in all cases,
doctors now use it as a standard practice. Assume that the procedure
continues to cure all cases. This provides an even stronger case for the fact
the procedure works. As this happens more and more –
that the procedure
works – one can mount an inductive argument that it works all of the time.
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403
Given the variations in the human body according to age, sex and lifestyle
factors it is possible that there is a mixed result in the Substance Y brings about a
substantial cure in many but not all cases. In the absence of major side effects, this
would be justification for using it as a cure.
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