James Le Fanu
Encyclopedia
James Le Fanu is a British
physician
, medical journalist
and author
of several books. He is best known for his weekly columns in the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph
.
in 1974, and then worked in the Renal Transplant Unit and Cardiology Departments of the Royal Free Hospital
and St Mary’s Hospital in London
. For the last 20 years, he has been a doctor in general practice. Le Fanu is also a medical journalist
and has written articles and reviews both for medical journals such as the British Medical Journal
and for magazines, and weekly columns in the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph, for which he is best known.
Le Fanu is also an author. His books include The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine, which won the Los Angeles Prize Book Award in 2001, and Why Us?: How Science Rediscovered the Mystery of Ourselves (2009).
and without modern sophisticated biological knowledge and that since then "the fall of medicine" has occurred. He sees this due to the number of cures declining at the same time as new scientific knowledge of human biology
was improving. He further claims that whilst industrialised medicine has improved because of technological advances, at the same time the costs have increased hugely. Other reasons he lists for the fall of medicine include his argument that medicine has become too centred on a movement he calls "The New Genetics"; he further links the fall of medicine to the "social theory" of public health
, such as the work of Ancel Keys
in the 1950s.
and Darwinism
. He is the author of the controversial book Why Us?: How Science Rediscovered the Mystery of Ourselves, in which he claims that Darwin's theory of evolution is a materialistic theory that fails to explain consciousness
and the experience
of the human being. He states that it is not enough to conjure the wonder of the human experience from the study of bones, genes and brains alone. According to a review of his book by the New Scientist
, Le Fanu argues for the existence of an immaterial
"life force". Le Fanu is not a creationist; he does not argue for God
, instead he argues for a non-physical cosmic force which he claims could explain where consciousness originates from; he also claims it may explain many of the other mysteries
unexplained by material science.
According to Le Fanu: "Darwinism is the foundational theory of all atheistic, scientific and materialist doctrines and of the notion that everything is ultimately explicable and that there is nothing special about it – the self-denigration and self-hatred, the great ‘nothing but’ story.”
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, medical journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of several books. He is best known for his weekly columns in the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph
Sunday Telegraph
The Sunday Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961. It is the sister paper of The Daily Telegraph, but is run separately with a different editorial staff, although there is some cross-usage of stories...
.
Life
He graduated from Cambridge University and the Royal London HospitalRoyal London Hospital
The Royal London Hospital was founded in September 1740 and was originally named The London Infirmary. The name changed to The London Hospital in 1748 and then to The Royal London Hospital on its 250th anniversary in 1990. The first patients were treated at a house in Featherstone Street,...
in 1974, and then worked in the Renal Transplant Unit and Cardiology Departments of the Royal Free Hospital
Royal Free Hospital
The Royal Free Hospital is a major teaching hospital in Hampstead, London, England and part of the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust....
and St Mary’s Hospital in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. For the last 20 years, he has been a doctor in general practice. Le Fanu is also a medical journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and has written articles and reviews both for medical journals such as the British Medical Journal
British Medical Journal
BMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...
and for magazines, and weekly columns in the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph, for which he is best known.
Le Fanu is also an author. His books include The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine, which won the Los Angeles Prize Book Award in 2001, and Why Us?: How Science Rediscovered the Mystery of Ourselves (2009).
Medicine
In his book The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine, Le Fanu claims that from the 1930s until the mid 1970s was the "Golden Age" for medicine, due to smaller groups of researchers working with rudimentary technologyTechnology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
and without modern sophisticated biological knowledge and that since then "the fall of medicine" has occurred. He sees this due to the number of cures declining at the same time as new scientific knowledge of human biology
Human biology
Human Biology is an interdisciplinary area of study that examines humans through the influences and interplay of many diverse fields such as genetics, evolution, physiology, epidemiology, ecology, nutrition, population genetics and sociocultural influences. It is closely related to...
was improving. He further claims that whilst industrialised medicine has improved because of technological advances, at the same time the costs have increased hugely. Other reasons he lists for the fall of medicine include his argument that medicine has become too centred on a movement he calls "The New Genetics"; he further links the fall of medicine to the "social theory" of public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
, such as the work of Ancel Keys
Ancel Keys
Ancel Benjamin Keys was an American scientist who studied the influence of diet on health. In particular, he hypothesized that different kinds of dietary fat had different effects on health....
in the 1950s.
Evolution
Le Fanu is an open critic of materialismMaterialism
In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance...
and Darwinism
Darwinism
Darwinism is a set of movements and concepts related to ideas of transmutation of species or of evolution, including some ideas with no connection to the work of Charles Darwin....
. He is the author of the controversial book Why Us?: How Science Rediscovered the Mystery of Ourselves, in which he claims that Darwin's theory of evolution is a materialistic theory that fails to explain consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
and the experience
Experience
Experience as a general concept comprises knowledge of or skill in or observation of some thing or some event gained through involvement in or exposure to that thing or event....
of the human being. He states that it is not enough to conjure the wonder of the human experience from the study of bones, genes and brains alone. According to a review of his book by the New Scientist
New Scientist
New Scientist is a weekly non-peer-reviewed English-language international science magazine, which since 1996 has also run a website, covering recent developments in science and technology for a general audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of...
, Le Fanu argues for the existence of an immaterial
Immaterial
Immaterial may refer to* The opposite of matter, material, materialism, or materialistic* Incorporeality* Immaterialism, or subjective idealism* Immaterial , a 2002 short story collection by Robert Hood...
"life force". Le Fanu is not a creationist; he does not argue for God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, instead he argues for a non-physical cosmic force which he claims could explain where consciousness originates from; he also claims it may explain many of the other mysteries
Mysteries
Mysteries may refer to:* Sacred mysteries in ancient esoteric religions* Mysteries , a 1975 jazz album* Mysteries , an 1892 psychological novel* The Mysteries, a 1977 English play cycle...
unexplained by material science.
According to Le Fanu: "Darwinism is the foundational theory of all atheistic, scientific and materialist doctrines and of the notion that everything is ultimately explicable and that there is nothing special about it – the self-denigration and self-hatred, the great ‘nothing but’ story.”
External links
- Articles by James Le Fanu at JamesLeFanu.com
- Books by James Le Fanu at OCLC WorldCat