![]() ![]() The last holdout for vitalism was the kidney, but it fell into total disrepute after the elegant experiments of Homer Smith in the 1930s demonstrated clearly the filtration and secretory mechanisms of that organ. As physiology came to be understood increasingly in terms of physical mechanisms, vitalistic explanations for the functioning of the body were refuted one by one. Carl Reichenbach later developed the theory of Odic force, a form of life-energy that permeated living things this concept never gained much support despite Reichenbach's prestige. Jöns Jakob Berzelius, one of the early 19th century "fathers" of modern chemistry, though he rejected mystical explanations of vitalism, nevertheless argued that a regulative force must exist within living matter to maintain its functions. Nevertheless, various quasi-vitalist concepts were still employed by many scientists to explain many matters of human life, development and mind. ![]() Īided by the development of the microscope in the Netherlands in the early 17th century, the germ theory of disease eventually challenged the role of the four humours in Western medicine, while the cellular composition of the organs of human anatomy and the ensuing molecular analysis of the maintenance of life slowly became better understood, reducing the need to explain things in terms of mystical "vital forces". It was argued that the essential difference between the two forms of matter was the "vital force", present only in organic material. Organic compounds "cooked" when heated, transforming into new forms that could not be restored to the original. Inorganic matter could be melted, but could also be restored to its former condition by removing the heat. These two forms of matter were termed organic and inorganic. While vitalist ideas have been commonplace in traditional medicine, attempts to construct workable scientific models date from the 17th century, when it was argued that matter existed in two radically different forms, observable by their behavior with regard to heat. The notion that bodily functions are due to a vitalistic principle existing in all living creatures has roots going back at least to ancient Egypt. Like Erasistratus he believed a vital force was absorbed through the lungs from the air. When studying the anatomy of the human body, he did not believe that the living organisms could be explained by mindless interplay of atoms, rather he believed there was a vital force that powered the human body. ![]() A pure vitalistic doctrine, however, can be traced back to Galen of the second century, a physician who became a surgeon for gladiators at Pergamum. Vitalism is an ancient doctrine found throughout many ancient cultures. Aristotle gestures to the earth, representing his belief in knowledge through empirical observation and experience, while Plato points up to the heavens showing his belief in the ultimate truth. Plato (left) and Aristotle (right), a detail of The School of Athens, a fresco by Raphael. It is often contrasted to reductionism, the more mechanistic approach. In the Western tradition founded by Hippocrates, these vital forces were associated with the four temperaments and humours Eastern traditions posited similar forces such as qi and prana. Vitalism has a long history in medical philosophies: most traditional healing practices posited that disease results from some imbalance in the vital energies that distinguish living from non-living matter. Where vitalism explicitly invokes a vital principle, that element is often referred to as the "vital spark", "energy" or " élan vital", which some equate with the " soul". a doctrine that the processes of life are not explicable by the laws of physics and chemistry alone and that life is in some part self-determining.a doctrine that the functions of a living organism are due to a vital principle distinct from biochemical reactions.Vitalism, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is For other uses, see vital (disambiguation). This article is about the non- mechanist philosophy. ![]()
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