A Philosophical Inquiry into the Structure of Scientific Progress Regarding Beriberi. The Development of a Paradigm Shift

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2020 in the subject Philosophy - Philosophy of the 20th century, grade: 1,0, Humboldt-University of Berlin (Philosophie), language: English, abstract: This bachelor´s thesis argues for a paradigm shift that emerged as a direct consequence of the gradually developed knowledge regarding the etiology of beriberi. We are used to the medical and nutritional values of vitamins, we cherish their effectiveness against diseases, or plunge into debates on whether vegans face the risk of running low on B12. What we, however, do not conceive of so much is how the knowledge of vitamins, in the early 20th century, changed the way medical scientists and practitioners theorized disease causation. With the advent of modern microbiology almost every disease was thought to be caused by external agents like bacteria, viruses, or protozoal pathogens. But what if some diseases cannot be explained by such 'intrusions'? What if, when, without the 'intrusion' of diminutive things the bodily functions will cease? The answer is a gradual transformation of a medical paradigm of disease causation by external factors into a paradigm of internal ones.

I studied Philosophy and Cultural History and Theory (BA) at Humboldt-University of Berlin. During my studies, I started engaging into the field of History of Knowledge and History of Science as well as in the Philosophy of Science. Between February and July 2022 I was an Erasmus candidate at the University of Amsterdam where I focussed on Science and Technology Studies. My field of expertise, therefore, oscillates between philosophical and cultural-analytic methodology. Seit Oktober 2020 bin ich im Masterprogramm Kulturwissenschaft an der Humboldt-Universität. Schon während meines Bachelorstudiums der Philosophie und den Kulturwissenschaften an der Humboldt-Universität habe ich mich auf wissens- und wissenschaftsgeschichtliche sowie wissenschaftsphilosophische Fragestellungen spezialisiert. Zwischen Februar und Juli 2022 war ich als Erasmus Stipendiat an der Universiteit van Amsterdam, wo ich speziell Themen aus den Science and Technology Studies studiert habe. Mein Interesse oszilliert daher zwischen einem philosophisch-analytischen und kulturwissenschaftlichen Methodenkanon.