The role of science in medicine.

ABSTRACT

A suitable demarcation between pure science and applied research can be drawn in terms of their goals. This distinction of goals has methodological and cultural consequences. If the demarcation is accepted, what does the connection between the two enterprises look like? What is the role of science in medical practice? The Baconian answer to this question is discussed and criticised as too linear. A second answer may be that pure science has no part at all in medicine. This too can be criticised as too simplistic. A third answer is suggested in which pure science plays the role of being an instrument for interpreting observations and problems, and of being a source of inspiration for technological research programs.