Medicine for the Whole Person - A Critique of Scientific Medicine

Erich Ledermann is a prominent, highly experienced physician and a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Established in orthodox medicine, the author has produced a book on holistic healing and the spiritual dimensions of existence. As the title promises, it examines the flaws of orthodox medicine, points out the benefits of holistic healing, and advocates a change in lifestyle. The middle section of this book centres around Natural Therapy, which aims to strengthen the healing powers within the body and prevent disease by a naturalistic lifestyle. Similarly, science-based medicine is criticised and condemned for its so called mechanistic approach to disease, which classifies people as bearers of disease and fails to treat the whole person. Although the author reluctantly acknowledges some limitations to his holistic approach by admitting that “medical scientists do know the workings of individual bodily parts [better]”, this work is dissappointingly one-sided and unbalanced. The author also shows himself woefully out of date; he states for instance that, in the UK, a professor will be appointed to investigate complementary medicine scientifically. He should know that this appointment was made 4 years ago. The critical reader will miss the interaction of up-to-date argument and counter-argument, and find that many questions are left unanswered.

Taken together this book is more emotive than factual and more partial than objective. In my view it contributes little to the real questions on the topic.