The Logic of Diagnosis: Peirce, Literary Narrative, and the History of Present Illness.

DISEASES & history; COMPUTER-aided diagnosis; PEIRCE, Charles S. (Charles Sanders), 1839-1914; NARRATIVE inquiry (Research method); MATHEMATICAL logic; SCIENTIFIC method; PHYSICIAN-patient relations

This essay presents a theoretical construct upon which to base a working—pragmatic—definition of the History of Present Illness (HPI). The major thesis of this essay is that analysis of both the logic of hypothesis formation and literary narrative—especially detective stories—facilitates understanding of the diagnostic process. The essay examines three elements necessary to a successful development of a patient's HPI: the logic of hypothesis formation, based upon the work of the philosopher-logician, Charles Sanders Peirce; the organization of knowledge in relation to structures of narrative; and the feedback necessary to the successful physician-interviewer. It concludes with a systematic description of the design of hypothesis formation within diagnoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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