Etiological Explanations

Literature about the theoretical underpinnings of illness causation research is scarce and lacking a convenient summary. This book provides a convenient and accessible distillation of the current research into this developing field, and adds a personal, systems-science-based flavour to the discussion about how to identify causes of illness.

Olaf Dammann is Professor and Vice Chair of of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; as well as a Professor in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.

1. Introduction. 2. A Multidisciplinary Problem. 3. Etiological Explanations. 4. Etiological Pluralism. 5. Difference-Making and Mechanism. 6. Process Perspective. 7. Combined Contribution. 8. Etiological Coherence.