Skip to main content

Moral Issues Relating to the Economics of New Knowledge in the Biomedical Sciences

  • Chapter
Book cover New Knowledge in the Biomedical Sciences

Part of the book series: Philosophy and Medicine ((PHME,volume 10))

Abstract

Over the past few generations there has been an exponentially increasing investment of human and material resources in scientific inquiry, particularly medical research. Nevertheless, there remains the economists’ uncompromising question regarding the actual structure of the relationship between resource investment and product output. In particular, the problem arises of whether, as science progresses, a fixed amount of effort continues to yield uniformly significant results, or whether a process of declining yields is operative in this respect. Even greatly increasing resource investments will fail to generate a corresponding increase in output if the unit cost of production is rising.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Bibliography

  1. Burnet, Sir M.: 1971, Genes, Dreams, and Realities, Basic Books, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Cooper, B. C., Worthington, N. L., and Piro, P. A.: 1974, ‘National Health Expenditures: 1929–1973’, Social Security Bulletin 37, 2.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Duhem, P.: 1969, To Save the Phenomena, trans. E. Doland and C. Maschler, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Eddington, A. S.: 1975 (Reprint of the 1928 edn.), The Nature of the Physical World, AMS Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  5. George, W.: 1975 (Reprint of the 1936 edn.), The Scientist in Action, Arno Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Hodgins, E.: 1956, ‘The Strange State of American Research’, in the Editors of Fortune (eds.), The Mighty Force of Research, McGraw-Hill, New York, pp. 1– 20.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Illich, I.: 1911, Limits to Medicine, Penguin Books, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Mittelstrass, J.: 1962, Die Rettung der Phänomene, de Gruyter, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Newton, I.: 1936, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica F. Cajori (ed.), University of California Press, Berkeley.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Pawles, J.: 1973, ‘On the Limitations of Modern Medicine’, Science, Medicine and Man 1, 1–30.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Planck, M.: 1949, Vorträge und Erinnerungen, S. Hirzel Verlag, Stuttgart.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Shabecoff, P.: 1978, ‘Runaway Medical Costs’, New York Times, May 12,1978, p. A-18.

    Google Scholar 

  13. U.S. Government Printing Office.: 1975, Science Indicators — 1974, publication No. 038-000-00253-8, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Werheimer, P., et al.: 1965, Chemistry; Opportunities and Needs, National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1982 D. Reidel Publishing Company

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Rescher, N. (1982). Moral Issues Relating to the Economics of New Knowledge in the Biomedical Sciences. In: Bondeson, W.B., Tristram Engelhardt, H., Spicker, S.F., White, J.M. (eds) New Knowledge in the Biomedical Sciences. Philosophy and Medicine, vol 10. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7723-5_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7723-5_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-009-7725-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-7723-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics