CONCEPT OF ILLNESS AND DISEASE
ILLNESS Illness is a highly personal state in which the person's physical, emotional, intellectual, social, developmental, or spiritual functioning is thought to be diminished. It is not synonymous with disease and mayor may not be related to disease. Illness is highly subjective; only the individual person can say he or she is ill. DISEASE Disease is defined as pathologic change in the structure or function of the body or mind. Disease can be described as an alteration in body functions resulting in a reduction of capacities or a shortening of the normal life span. Primitive people thought "forces" or spirits caused disease. Later this belief was replaced by the single-causation theory. Today multiple factors are considered to interact in causing disease. DIFFERENT CONCEPTS ON CAUSATION OF DISEASES ANCIENT VIEWS Demonic theory Religion, philosophy and medicine were integral part in the early part of civili...