black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

Medicine is a social science, and politics is nothing more than medicine on a grand scale.

Rudolf Virchow

Science in itself’ is nothing, for it exists only in the human beings who are its bearers. ‘Science for its own sake’ usually means nothing more than science for the sake of the people who happen to be pursuing it.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Existence People Pursue Science
Belief has no place as far as science reaches, and may be first permitted to take root where science stops.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Belief Place Reach Science Stop
The physicians are the natural attorneys of the poor, and the social problems should largely be solved by them.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Natural Poor Problem Social Solution
Only those who regard healing as the ultimate goal of their efforts can, therefore, be designated as physicians.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Doctor Goal Healing Position
Medical statistics will be our standard of measurement: we will weigh life for life and see where the dead lie thicker, among the workers or among the privileged.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Medical Privilege Standard Statistics Work
Between animal and human medicine, there is no dividing line-nor should there be.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Animal Division Human Medicine
There can be no scientific dispute with respect to faith, for science and faith exclude one another.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Faith Oneself Respect Science
Belief cannot be reckoned with in terms of science, for science and faith are mutually exclusive.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Belief Faith Science
Disease is not something personal and special, but only a manifestation of life under modified conditions, operating according to the same laws as apply to the living body at all times, from the first moment until death.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Death Manifestation Moments Operation Personal Sick Special
My politics were those of prophylaxis, my opponents preferred those of palliation.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Myself Opponent Politics Preference
If popular medicine gave the people wisdom as well as knowledge, it would be the best protection for scientific and well-trained physicians.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Doctor Medicine People Popular Training Wisdom
Imprisoned quacks are always replaced by new ones.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

New Oneself Prison Replacement
As long as vitalism and spiritualism are open questions so long will the gateway of science be open to mysticism.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Open Question Science Spirituality
Marriages are not normally made to avoid having children.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Avoid Children Marriage
Laws should be made, not against quacks but against superstition.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Law Superstition
The task of science, therefore, is not to attack the objects of faith, but to establish the limits beyond which knowledge cannot go and found a unified self-consciousness within these limits.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Attack Consciousness Faith Limitation Object Science
It is the curse of humanity that it learns to tolerate even the most horrible situations by habituation, that it forgets the most shameful happenings in the daily shame of events, and that it can hardly understand when individuals aim to destroy this infamy.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Curse Destroy Event Humanity Learning Shame Tolerance
Medical education does not exist to provide students with a way of making a living, but to ensure the health of the community.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Community Education Existence Live Medical Way
Brevity in writing is the best insurance for its perusal.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Best Insurance Writing
It is the curse of humanity that it learns to tolerate even the most horrible situations by habituation.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Curse Humanity Learning Situation Tolerance
The body is a cell state in which every cell is a citizen. Disease is merely the conflict of the citizens of the state brought about by the action of external forces.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Body Citizenship Force State
Medicine is a social science, and politics is nothing more than medicine on a grand scale.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Medicine Scale Social Science
The task of science is to stake out the limits of the knowable, and to center consciousness within them.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Consciousness Know Limitation Science
Body: A cell state in which every cell is a citizen.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Body Citizenship State
If we would serve science, we must extend her limits, not only as far as our own knowledge is concerned, but in the estimation of others.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Concern Knowledge Science Serve
Belief begins where science leaves off and ends where science begins.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Beginning Belief End Leave Science
Life itself is but the expression of a sum of phenomena, each of which follows the ordinary physical and chemical laws.
RUDOLF VIRCHOW

Chemical Expression Follow Law Life Ordinary Physical

Medicine is a social science, and politics is nothing more than medicine on a grand scale.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

Medicine is a social science, and politics is nothing more than medicine on a grand scale.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Rudolf Virchow Quotes