Naturalism and social science. A post-empiricist philosophy of social science

ability to pay professional fees. The author has some interesting observations on the "culture lag" between popular beliefs about dental care and the state of opinion in the profession itself. The layman may not be aware of changes of theories and opinions amongst dentists and clings to "facts" which have become outdated. The theory of "focal infection" arising from Hunter's work in 1910 provided the reason for multiple extractions for a period of forty years and the layman was conditioned to accept the advantages of losing all his teeth. Few patients will now accept this type of treatment and the profession has learned to save many teeth which were previously condemned. However, attitudes vary with social class, and social and economic factors tend to override the concepts of ideal treatment advocated by the profession. It is evident that the author believes that dentists are obsessed with the diagnosis and treatment of disease and that there is too much emphasis on high technology treatment procedures which contribute little to the health of the community as a whole. He advocates greater emphasis on the principles of maintenance care and prevention , radical initiatives in the deployment of auxiliary workers skilled in preventive work and able to increase the productivity of graduate dentists, incentives to ration expensive (or extractive) treatment, changes in the dental supply industry that foster adequate technology and expertise for self-care and that reduce the incentive to elaborate restorative care, and strategies for prevention directed at the aetiological stage. Many of these ideas are already being adopted or are being tried out, but the profession will still be required to provide ever more sophisticated treatment for those who escape the preventive net, but who do not wish to lose those teeth damaged by caries, excessive wear, or trauma. The author has made a strong case for greater emphasis on the prevention of oral disease, and there is no doubt that much of our knowledge of prevention is not yet being properly applied, but fully effective prevention of caries and periodontal disease is still some way off and the pace of change may not be as fast as the author believes to be possible. David Thomas's book is a lucid and jargon-free introduction to recent debates in the philosophy of social science. Acknowledging the force of attacks upon crude empiricist methodology over the last generation, Thomas poses the question whether all …