Defining Disease

The Gold Standard of Disease versus the Fiat Standard of Diagnosis

By Thomas S. Szasz

Medical science needs a clear, objective demarcation between disease and nondisease. Our current, elastic definition of disease imperils the scientific integrity of medical scientists and clear thinking about illness and treatment by physicians, patients, politicians, and the public.

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Thomas S. Szasz
(1920–2012) was professor of psychiatry emeritus at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University, and an advisory board member of The Independent Institute in Oakland, Calif.

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