The Concept of Symptoms in Textbooks of Classical Homeopathy and Internal Medicine – A Linguistic Contribution to the Medical Humanities

Abstract

Much of the polarised debate on homeopathy centres on the clinical proof of evidence. Conceptual differences and their influence on medical practice are not present in the public discourse. This makes a productive discussion difficult. This linguistic study focusses on the symptom as a central concept of both healing approaches. Based on an examination of textbooks on internal medicine and classical homeopathy, it is shown that the symptom concepts differ in essential aspects and are verbalised differently. The patterns identified are interpreted against the background of Ludwik Fleck’s theory of thought styles. It is argued that the verbalisation of the symptom concept in accordance with the thought style leads to the development of a professional identity and promotes the consolidation of one's own thought collective. Patterns of language use that do not correspond to the own thought style, on the other hand, lead to irritation and misunderstanding. As a result, the different conceptualisation of symptom drives the polarisation of the discourse. The study aims to identify key differences and typical linguistic patterns. It represents a linguistic contribution to the field of medical humanities.