Crinson I. The Biomedical Sciences In Society: An Interdisciplinary Analysis

Palgrave Macmillan, 2021. — 208 p.This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the interdisciplinary field of the Social Studies of Science and Technology (SSST). Over the past two decades, the biomedical sciences have transformed our understanding of the relationship between the social and natural worlds, while its ‘promissory visions’ are seen to offer extraordinary opportunities for economic and social development. But alongside these scientific innovations have emerged new, and frequently unanticipated social, political, bioethical, and legal dilemmas and challenges. This cutting-edge text explores ‘post-genomic’ developments in the field of pharmacogenomics and the prospects for a new ‘precision’ or personalised medicine; the potential of environmental epigenetics to reconfigure the boundaries of the social and natural worlds; the emergence of an array of ‘neuro-disciplines’, seeking to identify the neural basis of a whole range of social and economic behaviours; and the challenges of constructing a coherent and robust governance framework for the conduct of biomedical science research and innovation, responsive to the social and health needs of the whole population.General Introduction
Who Is This Textbook Intended for?
Interdisciplinarity in Research and Analysis
Interdisciplinarity in the Biomedical Sciences
Social Studies of Scientific Knowledge (SSK)
The ‘Discipline’ of Science and Technology Studies (STS)
Scoping the Field of SSST Analytical Research
The Structure of the Book
Conclusion: The Constituents of Critical AnalysisInterdisciplinarity and Philosophy
The Role of Philosophy in Scientific Understanding
Scientific Realism: From Empiricism to Logical Positivism, and onto the Hypothetico-Deductive Method
Thomas Kuhn: ‘Paradigmatic Shifts’ and ‘Scientific Revolutions’
Anti-realism: The Social Construction of Knowledge in Science
Critical Realism: Ontological Realism and Epistemological Constructionism
Chapter Summary: Key PointsAnthropologists in the Lab
Transforming Life in the Laboratory
The Epistemic Cultures of Science
Epistemic Disputes in Interdisciplinary Bioscience: The Case of Systems Biology
Models of Disease in Laboratory Work
Bench-to-Bedside: The Translational Imperative in Biomedical Research
Chapter Summary: Key PointsThe Emergent Field of Cognitive Neuroscience
An Introduction to Medical Perception and the ‘Clinical Gaze’
The Path from Laboratory-Based Research to Clinical Interventions
Neuro-Imaging Research: Localisation, Representation, and ‘Black Boxes’
Constructing Mental Disorders: From Psychiatry to Neuroscience
Hope and Uncertainty: Neuroscience and the Case of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Concluding CommentsThe ‘Seductive Allure’ of the Neuroscience of Human Behaviour
Neuro-enculturation : Neurolaw
Neuro-enculturation : Neuroeconomics
Neuro-enculturation : Early Years Development
Neuro-enculturation : Cognitive Enhancement
Concluding CommentsFrom Mendelian Genetics to Molecular Genomics: A Brief Journey
Sequencing the Human Genome and Its Aftermath
A Promissory Vision for Pharmacogenomics and the Role of Big Pharma
The Challenge of Integrating a Personalised Medicine Within Health Care Systems
An Era of Personal Genomics?
Concluding Comments
Chapter Summary—Key PointsAn Introduction to Epigenetics
Classic Rodent Studies: Stressors and Early Development
‘Natural Experiments’ and Human Epigenetic Research
Epigenetic Inheritance Research: The Transgenerational Imprinting of Social Behaviour?
‘Race’ and Categories of Difference in Epigenetic Research
Constituting the ‘Environment’ in Epigenetics: Renegotiating the Biological-Social Boundary
Chapter Summary—Key PointsThe ‘Female Brain’ and Other Gender Myths
‘Leaky Pipelines’ and Gendered Roles in Biomedical Science Careers
Chapter Summary—Key PointsA Cautionary Tale
Frameworks of Science Governance
The Role of Government in Biomedical Research and Development
The Public Engagement with Science
Techno-Scientific Innovation and Risk
Alternative Scenarios: Epidemics and Moral Panics
Chapter Summary: Key PointsThree Case Studies in the Regulation of Research
The Role of Biobanks in Biomedical Research
Commercialising Biodata: A Challenge for Regulation
Bioethical Principles in the Context of the Governance of Biobanks
Big Data Analytics and the Emergence of Bioinformatics
Conclusions: Limits to GovernanceConclusion: Future Pathways in the Interdisciplinary Analysis of Biomedical Science