I'll say one thing for this discussion; it throws some light on who did what in physics around the turn of the last century... It might be interesting to conduct an investigation of the history of the great ideas of "great people"... interesting...but of little real value, I suspect.
BS, thanks for your comment.
But what do you mean when you say: "...Interesting...but of little real value"
Of little value? I might have mentioned this before, but allow me to do so, again: In 1954-1955, I did a master's in theology on the theme,
The History of Ideas. It led me to resurrect the philosophy of pneumatology, which obviously had been suppressed when materialism came to the fore. This process proved to have great value to me.
Without denying the value of somatology and psychology, pneumatology asks us to not overlook the role that the pneuma (the mind, or spirit) can, and does play, in helping us keep us healthy in all ways--in body, mind and spirit.
THE BERNARD AND PASTEUR STORYBTW, you mentioned: "A few decades ago I read a very convincing account of how Louis Pasteur stole the idea of what became known as "pasteurization" from one of his students." Which prompts me to ask:
WHICH COMES FIRST, THE GERM OR MILIEU?=========================================
I assume that you are also aware of the controversy that went on for years between the physiologist, Dr. Claude Bernard and the biochemist, Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) over the value of the "germ theory" of disease. It is recorded that on his deathbed, Pasteur agreed that Claude Bernard (1813-1878) was right: "Le germe n'est rien, c'est le terrain qui est tout. (The microbe is nothing, the soil is everything.")
Was he saying that germs by themselves do not cause disease; that they simply thrive in "dirty" cells? It prompts me to ask: Does our having "sick" souls (pneumas) tend to attract the conditions that give us sick minds and bodies?
While I feel that they often carry the role of spirituality
too far, this is the basic belief of those who belong to religions like Christian Science.
Those who thrive on the pain and suffering of others may not like it, but I also feel that one does not need to be a member of organized religions like Christian Science to benefit from health-promoting principles that such religions have discovered and want to share with us.
Of course there are hypocrites, but when properly understood and practiced, most religions, especially Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam and the like, are all about total health.
Surely, there must be researchers interested in studying the social and health values of health-promoting spiritual principles of the great religions to see if they really do work and can help us be healthier. If pneumatological principles actually do work, think of the billions of dollars, not to mention the suffering and pain, that could be saved by all of us.
Check out:
http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/history/biographies/louis_pasteur.htmAlso check out:
http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/terrain/lost_history_of_medicine.htm
