Korean J Med Hist.
1998 Dec;7(2):199-207.
The Correlation of Medicine and Evolutionism: The Evolutionism in Metchinikov's Medical Thought
- Affiliations
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- 1Hallym University, Korea.
Abstract
- The correlation of medicine and evolutionism was negligent in history of science. This article analyzes the correlation of medicine and evolutionism in Metchinikov's medical thought. Metchinikov was concerned about the correlation of medicine and evolutionism. In the late nineteenth century when Metchinikov was engaged in his work, the evolutionism grew up with physico-chemical biology and ecology after The Origin of Species by Darwin. At that time, the evolutionism was pitted against the neo-darwinism and the neo-lamarckism. Metchinikov agreed with the neo-lamarckism because their biological methodology was non-discriminatory. The point of his problem was on the inflammation theory. Metchinikov accepted the theory of a struggle for existence by Darwin, but blamed the theory of a struggle in species. After all, he accepted the theory of a struggle in individual life by neo-lamarckism.
