PHILOSOPHY AND MEDICINE

These questions, and others like them, comprise the subject matter of a recent book by E. K. Ledermann,' a ,physician and psychiatrist currently working in the National Health Service in Britain. Ledermann postulates that a doctor does indeed follow a philosophical theory, and that each particular theory has a definite effect on the treatment of a patient. Two basic theories are explored by Ledermann: the philosophy of mechanistic materialism which emphasizes the integral components of the individual, and the philos~hy of holism which emphasizes the wholeness of the individual. His thesis is that both theories are important in medical treatment, but that priority must be given to the holistic approach. Furthermore, both theories are examples of the Kantian view of knowledge.