Schriftenschau

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Fetal effects of cervical ripening with extra-amniotic prostaglandin E2 in gel

A gel containing 0.5 mg prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) was extra-amniotically instilled to 90 clinically normal gravidae at term, for ripening of the cervix before elective induction of labor by amniotomy and intravenous PGE2. An acceptable increase in the Bishop score was noted to have occurred in 87/90 women, when assessed eight hours after administration of the gel; 14 of these women were then in established labor, which progressed uneventfully. Four of the 90 subjects required cesarean section for cephalopelvic disproportion. No adverse maternal or fetal effects of the procedure were detected under careful clinical, electronic and biochemical monitoring. However, epidural anesthesia adversely influenced the acid-base equilibrium of the fetus.     

What is truth – in science and beyond

Truth is threatened in our societies and one might wish that scientists should stand up for truth, but in order to do so, one needs to know what is truth and how it can be recognized. The oldest and most widely accepted concept of truth is the Correspondence Theory requesting a fit of propositions and reality. In the Coherence Theory truth is a consistent property of a whole system of propositions. In the Pragmatic Theory truth works in practical terms. Scientists have defined criteria to verify true statements by experiments and by the simplicity of theories. Aristotle proposed parsimony claiming the superiority of theories which derive from fewer hypotheses. David Hume suggested probability arguments to assess the force of evidence. Nicolai Hartmann elaborated a model based on the congruence of a priori logical arguments with a posteriori empirical observations. Karl Popper introduced the falsification of testable theories as a way to better theories. The analysis shows that scientific and medical research uses classical philosophical criteria of truth in their daily work. Humanities use different, hermeneutic criteria of truth. Finally, societies need for their coherence a dialectic approach to truth based on honest discussion of opposing views.