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Everybody already knows that stress can trigger a herpes outbreak; it's common knowledge that holistic health and environmental circumstances play a major role

Everybody already knows that stress can trigger a herpes outbreak; it's common knowledge that holistic health and environmental circumstances play a major role in whether or not an infection manifests as disease. Who ever said otherwise? Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems like this guy is burning a strawman to seem profound.

harshreality 3y ago
Agreed; the germ theory of disease simply says infectious disease X doesn't occur but for some kind of microbe. That is, the x-factor isn't bad air, evil spirits, or offending the gods. It's obviously not true that if you get infected by microbe m you will get the disease X. Such claims may be overstated to motivate people to get vaccinated or to practice good hygiene or animal handling. What the author seems to be arguing is that medicine has over-emphasized microbes, and under-emphasized the role of immune system deficits, particularly for diseases where latent infections are common.
JohnBooty 3y ago
it's common knowledge that holistic health and environmental circumstances play a major role in whether or not an infection manifests as disease I'm understanding the linked article thusly: Dubos wasn't disputing the facts of germ theory, as his provocative choice of titles may have suggested. He was wondering if we should pursue a host-centric approach rather than a germ-centric approach to medicine. It is perhaps roughly comparable to (for example) you and I both agreeing that UX and backend engineering are important, but disagreeing which of them should be the primary lens through which we tackle the software development process. In the end though, yeah, "germ theory vs. host theory" is probably kind of a moot point in 2023. Early application germ theory was basically, "how do we kill germs?" whereas I think that the last XX years of medicine have been more about the holistic interaction of germ and host. I do not work in the medical field so I would obviously welcome more knowledgeable feedback.
esperent 3y ago
> Everybody already knows that stress can trigger a herpes outbreak Also stomach ulcers, psoriasis and so on. Every knows this now. This was an extremely hard fought against piece of medical knowledge though, from my understanding. Up through the 80s and 90s it was a radical view. Now, fortunately, it's got a fancy name (psychoneuroimmunology) and is treated as an important field of study, as it deserves.

harshreality 3y ago

Agreed; the germ theory of disease simply says infectious disease X doesn't occur but for some kind of microbe. That is, the x-factor isn't bad air, evil spirits, or offending the gods. It's obviously not true that if you get infected by microbe m you will get the disease X. Such claims may be overstated to motivate people to get vaccinated or to practice good hygiene or animal handling. What the author seems to be arguing is that medicine has over-emphasized microbes, and under-emphasized the role of immune system deficits, particularly for diseases where latent infections are common.

JohnBooty 3y ago

it's common knowledge that holistic health and environmental circumstances play a major role in whether or not an infection manifests as disease I'm understanding the linked article thusly: Dubos wasn't disputing the facts of germ theory, as his provocative choice of titles may have suggested. He was wondering if we should pursue a host-centric approach rather than a germ-centric approach to medicine. It is perhaps roughly comparable to (for example) you and I both agreeing that UX and backend engineering are important, but disagreeing which of them should be the primary lens through which we tackle the software development process. In the end though, yeah, "germ theory vs. host theory" is probably kind of a moot point in 2023. Early application germ theory was basically, "how do we kill germs?" whereas I think that the last XX years of medicine have been more about the holistic interaction of germ and host. I do not work in the medical field so I would obviously welcome more knowledgeable feedback.

esperent 3y ago

> Everybody already knows that stress can trigger a herpes outbreak Also stomach ulcers, psoriasis and so on. Every knows this now. This was an extremely hard fought against piece of medical knowledge though, from my understanding. Up through the 80s and 90s it was a radical view. Now, fortunately, it's got a fancy name (psychoneuroimmunology) and is treated as an important field of study, as it deserves.