Medicine - Mathematics & History

'We now come to the input of mathematics into medical history, and to the related questions of arithmetic and quantification, ratio and proportion, geometrical argument and diagrams, and probability. Mathematics (consisting in arithmetic, geometry, astrology and music) had an established place in the quadrivium of the medieval arts course; its application to medicine is demonstrated in such textbooks as the Articella, which include treatises on weights and measures, and in studies of proportion and ratio such as those of the medieval Oxford calculators which Italian doctors among others caused to be revived at the beginning of our period. In the sixteenth century, it was a vigorously debated subject; there is a well-documented discussion of the certainty of mathematics, concerning its status in respect to the logical adequacy of its proofs, in which some natural philosophers and doctors (notably Cardano) take part. It will come therefore as no surprise that it was prescribed for doctors by most Renaissance pedagogical writers;  this prescription is often specifically linked to Galen's geometrical (axiomatic) method whose operations are the constitution of objects from elements, the comparison of existing objects and their reduction into their constitutive elements.

Associated with mathematics are diagrams, that is, abstract quantified spatial representations. There is a modern debate about the contribution of technical innovations in illustration in the Renaissance (most notably perspective) to the scientific revolution: this is only relevant here insofar as some participants in this debate argue for the importance of diagrammatic symbolisation of mental abstractions above those, like perspective, which are still representations of the real world, and see the former as a step on the path to full algebraic notation of geometry. Not all Renaissance thinkers were persuaded of their usefulness: Argenterio describes the diagrams of Manardo and Akakia reproduced below as 'vain and false tables and figures'; but I shall argue here that they were related to the uptake of doctors from the arts course insofar as well-known logical diagrams reproduced above (4.3:3) were adapted by them for their own purposes.' pp.171-172.

Maclean, Ian. 2002. Chapter 5, Beyond logic: geometry, proportion, quantity. In Logic, Signs, and Nature in the Renaissance: The Case of Learned Medicine. Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press.

Related to ongoing reading, Maclean provides two (among several) historical illustrations (with apologies for the quality) on pp.174-175, the first is from the Wellcome Collection:

Dubois, Jacques, 1478-1555 (Boe͏̈, Jacques, Bois, J. d., Boë, J., del, Boë, J., Del Boë, J., DelBoe͏̈, J., . . . Sylvius/de Bois). (1548). Methodus sex librorum galeni in differentiis et causis morborum et symptomatum in tabellas sex ordine suo conjecta paulo fusius ne brevitas obscura lectorem remoretur & fallat. de signis omnibus medicis, hoc est salubribus, insalubribus, & neutris, commentarius / ... per jacobum sylvium ..Paris: Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/books/methodus-sex-librorum-galeni-differentiis-et/docview/2090356749/se-2

Jacobus Sylvius, 1539

Which Maclean then translates / interprets (p.174):

Maclean. Figure 5.1, p.174.

'Manardo goes further, and causes and symptoms adapts the square of contraries to represent not only all the possible combinations of temperaments (combinations of cold and hot and wet and dry are cleverly excluded) but also inserts a mediate point to represent the absolutely temperate body: see fig. 5.2.
This adaptation of the square of contraries (which has precedents in the medieval period) shows the appropriation for their own use by doctors of the logical instruments at their disposal.

As we have seen, it is a feature of medical thinking to take into account many circumstantiae or variables, and, over time, the numbers of variables taken into consideration increases.' p.174-175.

Figure 5.2 Giovanni Manardo, p.175.

individual

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INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

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group

quality logic	quantity past - present - future diagrams symptoms - signs
subjective	objective

Previously: 'medicine' : 'history' : 'diagram'

Measuring Behavior 2027

The next Measuring Behavior conference will take place from 28 to 30 April, 2027, in Düsseldorf, Germany. Düsseldorf is in a region with a high concentration of behavioral research across a variety of fields both in universities and industry. It is easy to reach by international trains and flights. It is a city combining innovative modern architecture with a historic city centre. The conference will take place in the Clayton Hotel, which is in the Little Tokyo region of Düsseldorf, with its distinctive Japanese flavor. We will be hosted by the Heinrich Heine Medical University and the location is within easy walking distance of the central station.

The Scientific Program Committee invites you to submit proposals for oral presentations and posters at Measuring Behavior 2027 (Düsseldorf, 28-30 April).

All papers will be refereed through double-blind peer review and the proceedings will be published by the conference (with ISBN and DOI) and available online after the conference. In addition, selected papers will be invited to submit for a special edition of a journal.

Submissions for oral presentations and posters must be written in English following the style guide for Measuring Behavior 2027 publications. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the conference, we are flexible about the submission length. We accept submissions from at least one to maximum seven pages long for oral papers and about one page for posters. You also need to prepare a short (maximum 1000 characters, preferably shorter) abstract for the website.  
You can submit from the Submission page of the website. The deadline is 6th November 2026.

Tutorials and Demonstration Showcase submissions are free format and also have a later deadline (4 February 2027).

The Call for Symposia is open until October 9^th should you want to organise a series of presentations or an interactive workshop.

If you think a colleague might be interested in this Call for Symposia, you can also send them this PDF.

On behalf of the Measuring Behavior 2027 conference chairs,

Sabine Bischoff, Irena Krüger and Antonella Pomè (Heinrich-Heine-University), Gernot Riedel (University of Aberdeen) & Andrew Spink (Noldus Information Technology).

n.b. Early days, but I hope to attend and participate with a co-presenter.
Please do visit their site for full details. PJ

"Hey Jonesy: Where's the book?"

This prompt from yesterday is far from new. There are outlines for papers on W2tQ.

Seriously though, what would a book outline look like - now?

The introduction is probably already written, it just needs to be pulled-together. But, in truth it (desperately) needs a new perspective. The question of how to update the explanation - short of running a workshop? The model's original purposes 1-4 are a statement of fact. The intro figures that invariably show how the axes 'create' the model's care, or knowledge domains? What if...? Could we also present the inverse? That would be a new slant. Does the model still 'work'? 

Details aside, here is a quick outline:

Part 1

Introduction and Background 

1.1 Brian E. Hodges and Post-Registration Nurse Education

1.2 Peter Jones - Primed to mind-map

1.3 Web presence: Initial website 1998-2015 - Blog 'Welcome to the QUAD' 2006 ...

1.4 Brian's original lecture notes

1.5 Looking back and forward: Models of care for the 21^st Century

1.6 Confessions: So, where is the new site / platform? 

Part 2

 The Four (Five) Care Domains 

2.1 Science

2.2 Interpersonal (& Intrapersonal)

2.3 Sociology

2.4 Political

2.5 Spiritual

Part 3

Hodges' model in Practice - Applications

3.1 Self care

3.2 Clinical

3.3 Social Care - Community 

3.4 Management

3.5 Informatics

3.6 Policy 

3.7 Education

3.8 Workforce: Local - Global 

Part 4

The Legacies (still) in Our Midst

4.1 Person-centredness

4.2 Integrated Care

4.3 Holistic Care

4.4 Parity of Esteem

4.5 The Theory-Practice Gap

4.6 Change - Transformation: When? Disease to Prevention

Part 5

It's Tomorrow Now

5.1 Health Promotion

5.2 Public (Mental) Health & Protection

5.3 Citizenship

5.4 Global Health

5.5 Planetary Health

Part 6

Research

6.1 Hodges' model as a Research Tool

6.2 Climate change

6.3 Planetary Health

6.4 Beyond the Bio-Psycho-Social Model: The Political Domain

6.5 The Literacies 

6.6 InterDisciplinary, Multi- and Transdisciplinary

6.7 Hodges' model as a Mathematical Object?

Part 7

Philosophy

 

7.1 Revisiting the Original Purposes

 

7.2 AI - The Elephant in Mind

 

7.3 Value & Values  

...?

Much to add, revise ... 'Education as Part X'. Political and Literacy too - a specific part - and with AI (in every part!)?

STOP!!

OK. It's a minefield. Even a proposal is a 'non-trivial' task.

Who's writing this? Not me! Not all of it, and for me; not AI either.

It would be marvellous to be one of several editors: one day? 

Clearly, a great project for students and early career researchers and current practitioners. 

An inoculation to help new cohorts deal with the realities, ravages and rewards of 'care' in its entirety*. 

P.S. With the start of a title right there? PJ

'Becoming family with place' - Wooltorton et al. (2020)

The second R&E piece 'spoke' immediately of distance, peoples - their societies, culture, heritage and communities, plus place and connection to land, landscape, water, fauna, flora and sky.

individual

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INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

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group

Spirit Sense of Belonging	PLACE
PEOPLE family	Place and Planet  are lost here. Look at what 'country'  means and does here.

Wooltorton, Sandra, Collard, Len, Horwitz, Pierre, Poelina, Anne & Palmer, David. (2020). Sharing a place-based indigenous methodology and learnings. Environmental Education Research. 26. 1-18. 10.1080/13504622.2020.1773407. 
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13504622.2020.1773407.

My source: Wooltorton et al. (2020) 'Becoming family with place'. Resurgence & Ecology,  Issue 322. 2020. pp.34-35.

See also:

Jones, P. (2008) Exploring Serres’ Atlas, Hodges’ Knowledge Domains and the Fusion of Informatics and Cultural Horizons, IN Kidd, T., Chen, I. (Eds.) Social Information Technology Connecting Society and Cultural Issues, Idea Group Publishing, Inc. Chap. 7, pp. 96-109.

Hayward, B.A. (2020), Mental health nursing in bushfire‐affected communities: An autoethnographic insight. Int J Mental Health Nurs. doi:10.1111/inm.12765 

Previously: 'Australia' : 'Indigenous' : 'South' : 'landscape'

Afghanistan: Help women and girls in Afghanistan today

Five years after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the de facto authorities have issued more than 100 decrees affecting Afghan women and girls and stripping them of their rights, freedoms, and dignity.

No other country has dismantled the rights of half its population through law, policy, and practice to the same extent.

At the beginning of this year, the Taliban issued a decree effectively
 legalising domestic violence by allowing husbands to punish their wives.

And in May, another decree removed minimum age protections for marriage and made it harder for women to leave a spouse. This has increased the risk of forced and child marriage.

This is not just a loss of rights. It is the systematic 
erasure of women and girls from public life. 
Five years on from the Taliban takeover and the 
exclusion of women and girls is being normalised.

This unparalleled crisis of women’s and girls’ rights is at risk 
of being forgotten by the world.

Please help

individual

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INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

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group

Self - esteem/wellbeing Self-expression Personhood Mental health Education - Thought Life goals Religion Meaning Life - aspiration Self-determination Spiritual affirmation	Visibility My VOICE Daily routine - Quotidian life Life [this] One - 'Live it' 'Self-actualisation' Life chances Lived experience Liminality -  this is my journey ...
Gender apartheid Relationships Abuse - Domestic violence Cultural beliefs Quality of Life Social Religious beneficience Ethics 'You see me' 'I see you.' ... our journey together. We sisters are recognised  by our brothers.	State sanctioned abuse Scapegoating Power - Absolutism Denial of Human Rights Crimes against Humanity Law, Work  Literal reading / interpretation 'My State sees me?' I am cherished by the society in which live. I can contribute. I can Be and give of myself [here].

Previously: 'Afghanistan' : 'women' : 'girls'

See also 8th Sept. The Last Free Women: A Daring Escape from Afghanistan and Coming of Age in America. Blumenstein & Kapp. Hardcover, 368 pages. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN: 9781538779002

'From Tree to Sea [5] - The Bare Necessities' c/o BBC R4

My name is not Robinson Crusoe, but I feel privileged to live on an island. The sea has always been close. Liverpool (Scouser) has a history, to celebrate and seek forgiveness for. It was a surprise and yet wasn't from the map in the Bluecoat of the slave ships that plied the route to West Africa, to the West Indies and USA to see the same reflections in the dock area of Nantes in May 2025.

These reflections followed a BBC Radio 4 programme this afternoon (one of a series):

5. From Tree to Sea - The Bare Necessities

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002ztzy

'We are living in turbulent times and it is easy to feel anxious about the state of the world. The pace of change is fast, and the future often seems uncertain and out of our control. Given our reliance on technology, any sort of outage could be catastrophic. Could you survive - and thrive - in a world without global supply chains, the internet and 24-hour energy?

In this series the writer Dan Richards seeks out the tradition bearers and carriers of ancient knowledge who actively choose to live in close connection with the natural world around them. A return to first principles of what it means to be human and the kind of people you would like to be around if things fell apart.

Dan heads to Whithorn in Dumfries and Galloway where he meets Traditional Boat Builder Gail McGarva who is putting the finishing touches to a skiff before its launch. Gail has gathered knowledge of the ancient craft of wooden boat building through her relationship with tradition bearers and mentors, without whom the knowledge would disappear completely. What Dan finds is that this small wooden boat represents not only an evolution of form and process, but soul. The souls of all who have gone before and how they might influence a sustainable future with community at the heart of it.'

In making the skiff there is a marvellous observation about:

 "when the boat hits the water it knows what to do ..".

For students entering a profession or trade (any) that strikes a chord.

Writing - next project - parts 1 & 2 in search of titles

Currently, I'm pulling together what have become two drafts, that consider Hodges' model as a mathematical object. Part 1, put-down in the new year, and picked-up now; a good start as there is more than I thought. There's a cost of that, of course? Part 2 is a gathering of tatters. Well, it is an effort.

As I don't work in academia where connections may more readily follow, can I claim that Hodges' model also does work? That the model can help in finding potential collaborators and co-authors? Once the fundamentals are understood, and again - it's not rocket science - for some people thankfully, something clicks. It clicks absolutely where it is should.

The model can be quite addictive in a positive way, as one of many among the vast array of assessment, evaluation and other tools. It is complementary.

So, with much needed support to follow, including from previous publication (please see the bibliography in the sidebar), plus April's WCCS26 conference, I'm working away to share them in 12 days or so. Then the work really begins as I benefit from collegial input, new perspectives, views, critique and the reward of constructive debate, experience and knowledge of others. I hope the drafts reward the curiosity that's been displayed. It is still quite exciting. Hoping too that students and early career researchers might pick this up ...

Arriving at Hodges' model via guided discovery ...

Following Brian Hodges’ lead in his notes, I have engaged a great many learners with a guided discussion through the following questions:

Questions	Answers	Outcome/Significance
Who do we care for?	The person, individual, patient, client, carer.The group, family, community, national/global population. The 'duty of care'. The Planet.	It is the individual (guardian) who consents to care. The subject at the top of the vertical axis of Hodges’ model is first identified. It is the person who consents to care (or their guardian); then the group occupies the bottom of the vertical axis.
What do we do to help deliver care?	We attempt - complete tasks and interact in ways that are both mechanistic and humanistic. We use procedures, equipment, devices, technologies, physical interventions; and the self – empathy, rapport listening, being present. Team work with effective communication, coordination and collaboration are also essential.	To care is to act. The horizontal axis is added, with humanistic to the reader’s left; and mechanistic to the right. The axes are then complete, revealing the model’s ‘fixed’ structure. Interdisciplinary can be identified and further discussed.
What skills and knowledge do we need to care for the individual, family and populations?	Here we are concerned with the content of the given situation. This can encompass the whole curriculum and acknowledges experiential learning.	The epistemological and ontological scope and scale of health is revealed from self to planet. The importance of context and situation can be stressed. Including first-aid and its rules and risk assessment. Discussion visits and demonstrates the significance of each of the domains of Hodges’ model and the spiritual to participants. The relevance of Hodges' model to the 21st century, as a bio-psycho-socio-POLITICAL model is emphasised.

Previously: 'Hodges' model'.

Call for submissions for good practices c/o HIFA

Share your good practice and help strengthen the health system

The Health Systems Trust (HST) invites submissions of good practices for inclusion in the Good Practices Repository. Healthcare workers, programme managers, districts, facilities, academic institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), private-sector partners, industry partners and community organisations are implementing effective solutions to address health system challenges and improve health outcomes. Many of these valuable experiences remain undocumented and are therefore not widely shared or adapted by others facing similar challenges. The Good Practices Repository has been established to identify, document, and share effective practices that can support learning, adaptation, and health system improvement across the country. Most importantly, the real value of sharing good practices lies in its potential to create an exponential effect across the health system. When successful approaches are documented and shared, they can be adapted and implemented in multiple settings thereby extending their impact far beyond the original site. In this way a single innovation or improvement can catalyse widespread change which can accelerate learning and drive improvements in the health space across the country.

What is a Good Practice?

A good practice describes an intervention, programme, service, innovation, policy or approach that has demonstrated effectiveness in addressing health challenges and improving outcomes. Good practices are typically evidence-informed, make use of available resources and has the potential to be adapted, scaled or replicated in other settings.

Submissions may relate to one or more of the following areas:

• Health priorities
• Maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health
• HIV, TB and sexually transmitted infections
• Non-communicable diseases
• Mental health
• Environmental health and climate change
• One Health
• Antimicrobial Resistance
• Health system strengthening
• Leadership and governance
• Health financing
• Digital health and health information systems
• Human resources for health
• Service delivery and quality improvement
• Emergency and disaster preparedness
• Environmental health and climate change
• Antimicrobial resistance
• Medicines, technologies and supply chain management
• Community and implementation approaches
• Community engagement and participation
• Health promotion and disease prevention
• Multisectoral collaboration and partnerships
• Knowledge translation and evidence use
• Equity-focused and people-centred approaches
• Other Areas
• Other initiatives that contribute to improved health system performance, health outcomes, or population wellbeing.

Who can submit?

Submissions are welcome from organisations, institutions, programmes, and partnerships involved in the planning, delivery, management, evaluation, or support of health services, including:

• National, sub-national, regional, district, and local health authorities
• Public sector programmes and units
• Non-governmental, civil society and community-based organisations
• Academic and research institutions
• Professional bodies and associations
• Private-sector organisations and industry partners contributing to health system strengthening, service delivery, innovation, or public health programmes
• Multi-sectoral partnerships and collaborative initiatives
• Development partners, multilateral agencies, and international organisations

Assessment criteria

• Submissions will be assessed against an adapted World Health Organization (WHO) Good Practice criteria, including:Demonstrated effectiveness
• Efficient use of resources
• Relevance to a priority health system challenge
• Sustainability
• Ethical soundness
• Potential for adaptation or replication
• Innovation (optional but desirable)

Why submit?

• Selected practices will:Be featured in the Good Practices Repository
• Contribute to shared learning
• Receive national visibility and recognition
• Support evidence-informed policy and programme development
• Provide opportunities for replication and scale-up
• Showcase the achievements of health system implementers and partners
• Contribute to sustained efforts at improving various tiers of the health system

Submission requirements

Complete submission template including the following information:

• Executive summary
• Background: Description of the challenge addressed
• Intervention: Description of the intervention or practice
• Approach: Implementation process
• Key achievements: Results and outcomes achieved (describe outcome measures and metrics for success of the programme/intervention/tool)
• Lessons learnt: Description of lessons learnt which can inform replication in other contexts
• Sustainability considerations
• Supporting materials, where available
• Only complete submissions containing sufficient information for assessment will be reviewed.

Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Feel free to submit throughout the year.

How to submit: Submissions can be completed online through the Good Practices Repository submission portal:

https://www.goodpractices.hst.org.za/for-authors

[n.b. PJ - The link supplied does not appear to work, there is a submit option through the above page.]

For further information, please contact: GoodPractices AT hst.org.za

HIFA profile: Maryam Rumaney currently works as a freelance scientific and English language editor. In addition, she offers consulting services to the laboratory industry. mbrumaney AT gmail.com

HIFA - Healthcare Information For All

View this contribution on the web site

CfA Fully Funded Research Sabbaticals - via BCS-SGAI

Time, focus and community for your research on the societal impact of digital transformation

 

A fellowship at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) provides the freedom to dedicate yourself to your research and the opportunity to join a vibrant interdisciplinary community. Step away from daily work routines to gain new perspectives and build lasting connections.

 

As a fellow, you can spend either six or three months in Bochum, Germany. During this time, we will cover your sabbatical leave from work through financial compensation (e.g. for a teaching substitute) or provide grants of up to 2.000 € per month. In addition, we will provide a fully furnished apartment free of charge. You can invite guests for collaboration and receive financial support for research expenses. Private offices and meeting rooms with modern facilities offer optimal working conditions.

 

The funding program is open to excellent scholars and practitioners, to all career stages, disciplines and areas of investigation, as well as to pure research and to projects that are more applied in orientation.

 

You can apply for our regular open call, or for our special call “Futures of Work”.

 

The next deadline for applications is 31 August 2026. The earliest possible starting date for new fellowships is October 2027. Please use the application form on our website.

 

Find out more: https://cais-research.de/en/cais-college/fellowships/

 

Further questions? Please contact esther.laufer AT cais-research.de

 

My source: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa-jisc.exe?A0=AI-SGES

Health Literacy UK (HLUK) Conference 4 March 2027 in Manchester

Communicating and delivering health
and care that people can understand and use

Manchester 2027 – Where Health Literacy Takes Centre Stage

Join Health Literacy UK on 4 March 2027 for an exciting national conference bringing together passionate voices from across healthcare, public health, academia, local government and the voluntary sector. Expect inspiring keynote speakers, practical learning, fresh ideas and powerful conversations focused on making health information and services accessible to all. Whether you’re new to health literacy or leading change in your organisation, this is an event you won’t want to miss.

Hear from leading experts, discover practical approaches to improving health literacy, and connect with colleagues who are committed to reducing health inequalities and creating more inclusive health and care services.

Health Literacy UK (HLUK) invites researchers, practitioners, policymakers, educators, community organisations and students to submit abstracts for presentation at our national conference on 4 March 2027 in Manchester. 

Please see HLUK where additional details are provided and will follow:

https://healthliteracy.org.uk/hluk-conference-4th-march-2027/

n.b. I hope to see you there!

LAST CALL 2nd AIxIA Summer School on Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare!

[apologies for multiple postings]

A few last spots are still available for the school, taking place in Trento, Italy, on 13-17 July 2026.

The school is open to anyone interested in AI for Healthcare: Master and PhD students, researchers, clinicians, physicians, data scientists, AI engineers, and professionals working at the intersection of AI and healthcare.

Master and PhD students benefit from a reduced fee: 470 EUR.
The regular fee is 495 EUR.

This year’s edition will focus on:

• Medical Imaging
• Smart Hospitals
• Patient Trajectories

- with attention to concrete healthcare problems and to different AI research perspectives, including generative AI and neuro-symbolic AI.

More information:
https://lnkd.in/dEBmQ8Rr

Registration:
https://lnkd.in/dggvaMSP

Please share with anyone who may be interested!

#AI #DigitalHealth #Healthcare #ArtificialIntelligence #GenerativeAI #NeuroSymbolicAI #MedicalImaging #SmartHospitals #PatientTrajectories #AIxIA

My source: francesco.calimeri, unical.it

Independent report - Ockenden review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

FINAL REPORT: 

'This independent review of maternity services at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) considered the quality of care relating to newborn, infant and maternal harm at the trust.

This report covers the findings, conclusions and essential actions of this independent review of maternity services.

Based on a review of over 2,500 family cases that formed part of this investigation, the final report outlines:

• local actions for learning that staff at the trust must do
• system-wide learnings
• immediate and essential actions to improve maternity and neonatal care

The Independent Maternity Review (known as the Ockenden review) was led by Donna Ockenden and involved a multi-professional team of more than 160 reviewers. The review team held individual meetings with over 500 families, and more than 830 current and former staff at NUH engaged with the review.'

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a3bb59c4c7605ab567238ec/ockenden-report-review-of-maternity-services-nottingham-university-hospitals-nhs-trust-e-lay.pdf

https://www.ockendenmaternityreview.org.uk/

individual

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INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

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group

listening	Communication Processes  Health Systems
mothers families experience	LISTENING staffing funding

Previously: 'maternity' : 'risk' : 'safety' : 'compassion'

Hodges' model: An antidote to "Cognitive Surrender"*

'The pope's counterpoint that humanity flourishes "not despite limitations but often through them" is one that many people are becoming more aware of in the case of "cognitive surrender": the realisation that making things easier through AI can diminish rather than enhance our abilities. It is in a similar vein that the FT commits to always keeping human judgement at the centre of our journalism.'

* - and burnout?

The FT View, The ethical dilemmas of artificial intelligence. FTWeekend, 6-7 June 2026, p.12.
https://www.ft.com/content/d2c90246-11d7-4169-ac35-988de7fdb2af?syn-25a6b1a6=1

See also: https://www.futureofbeinghuman.com/p/magnifica-humanitas-and-being-human

Previously: 'ai' : 'language'

"step inside" TO "think outside"

  

individual

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INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

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group

             c/o Somerset House, 6th June 2016.

The alchemy of terminology, symbols, and signs ...

Or, 'What is a nurse doing … in a chemistry class?' [Ack. See Estrada]

In reading, I was reminded that chemistry adopted mathematical symbols for its own use. Not only that, but as a core science (with physics and biology, emerging from natural philosophy) there is a historical development from the time of alchemy:

Please see (with a graphical abstract):

C.Wentrup, The Transition from Alchemical to Modern Chemical Symbolism: from Bergman and Guiton de Morveau to Hassenfratz and Adet, Higgins, Richter, Dalton, and Berzelius. ChemPlusChem. 2024, 89, e202400033. https://doi.org/10.1002/cplu.202400033

This journey matters today as the use of symbols, in mathematics or other fields can be a barrier to learning and hence personal and disciplinary progress:

Ollie Hunter. Lost in translation: Demystify scientific symbolic language to help your chemistry students overcome any potential learning barriers. Royal Society of Chemistry, 23 May 2022.

As acknowledged many times, it is easy to take a word, or concept from one discipline and 'fit' it to - or in another. Or is it? Estrada concludes:

“The complexities of modern science and modern society have created a need for scientific generalists, for men trained in many fields of science.” This is a paradigm of science in the XXI century, where the advent of such fields like the study of complex systems requires multidisciplinary approaches. But the previous phrase was not written in the XXI century. It is the starting sentence in The education of a scientific generalist” published in Science in 1949 (Bode et al. 1949).' p.161. 

'Mathematics has been defined as the science of patterns. Thus, mathematicians search for “numerical patterns, patterns of shape, patterns of motion, patterns of behavior, voting patterns in a population, patterns of repeating chance events, and so on” (Byers 2010). Once a pattern is identified either in chemistry or in mathematics, the researcher can proceed to the clarification of the systematic rule which is behind that pattern. This is evident in the analogy used here between code-breaking and structure elucidation. This attachment to patterns makes both chemists and mathematicians very prone to the use of pictures. An organic chemist hardly can say anything about the chemical reactivity (or any physical or chemical property) of a molecule from its exact quantum-mechanical Hamiltonian. However, she will construct a complete narrative about the physical and chemical properties of a molecular structure drawn in a piece of paper, even if such a molecule is completely imagined. The power of pictures in mathematics is discussed in the book Mathematics and the Unexpected by Ivar Ekeland (1990) where its value is recognized as fundamental in the early stages of the development of mathematical ideas. This also introduces a very important analogy among chemists and mathematicians. Namely, that they use a proper language in their respective fields. While physicists use the mathematical language in their investigations, chemists use the sophisticated language of chemical formulas and specific symbols to represent charges, rearrangements, partial equilibria, etc. These “invented” languages mainly appear only in Chemistry and in Mathematics, making them unique intellectual activities.' p.162.

With thanks to the author, Ernesto Estrada IFISC for additional thoughts and insights:

Estrada, E. What is a mathematician doing…in a chemistry class?. Found Chem 26, 141–166 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10698-023-09497-4

BCS Third Faculty of Health and Care Conference 2026 - London 30th June

Overview

Join us for an exciting and informative day with a mix of keynotes, debates, panels, and practical workshops.

Speakers

Please visit the Faculty of Health and Care Conference 2026 web page for a list of our speakers and speaker biographies.

Synopsis

Please join our third annual conference featuring keynote addresses, panel sessions, scientific abstracts and posters, and practical workshops.

Our theme this year is 'Collaborate, Learn and Professionalise'.

Hear from national and international speakers in a CPD awarded programme.

Join us after the event for networking in an informal drinks reception.

Further details are available here:

Faculty of Health and Care: Conferences | BCS and Faculty of Health and Care Conference 2026 | BCS.

Ticket costs

(Prices stated are inclusive of VAT and fees)

• Venue Attendance - BCS Members - £25
• Venue Attendance - Non-BCS Members - £35
• Online Attendance - BCS Members - £12
• Online Attendance - Non-BCS Members - £15

Refunds/cancellations

A refund, excluding fees, will be issued if a cancellation request is received within 14 days of the booking date or by noon on Tuesday 16th June 2026, otherwise, name substitutions will be allowed after this date.

Our events are for adults aged 16 years and over.

This meeting is conducted in accordance with the BCS Code of Conduct for Meetings.

Join BCS today

If you are attending in person, please familiarise yourself with the Visitor Instructions for the BCS London Office.

Please note, if you have any accessibility needs, please let us know via 
groups AT bcs.uk and we’ll work with you to make suitable arrangements.

This event is brought to you by:

Faculty of Health and Care | BCS

n.b. Attending in-person. PJ

v WCCS26: World Conference on Complex Systems 20-22nd April

Day 2 Tuesday 21st April (Revisiting) Keynote Speaker: Abderrazak El Albani - 
Emergence of Intercellular Cooperation: At the Origins of Eukaryotic Complexity
Session Chair: Khawla Tadist

This keynote was fasacinating. As I begin this post on the 100th birthday of Sir David Attenborough, who would have us all see life in the broadest terms, value life and diverse habits, and Earth as our collective and shared home.

Abderrazak El Albani explained the search for LUCA the last universal common ancestor - 3.8 billion years ago. Many dates in the emergence story of humanity, have been progressively pushed back. The first fire, art, languages, our co-habitation and intimate relationships with Neanderthals.

In healthcare, as a practitioner you have to be aware of your scope of practice. At WCCS, scale (as in iv) was ever present across research in complexity, and complex systems. Not just physical size nano-to-mega but temporal too, as we journeyed billions of years. Several of the slides are presented here:

https://www.synchrotron-soleil.fr/en/news/discovery-oldest-macroscopic-planktonic-eukaryotes-contribution-nanoscopium-beamline (with a reference).

There is a video (French): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh3t26cU7xc

I asked a question, which may have been psychological preparation for own presentation to follow. Listening, I could see how the work Abderrazak El Albani and his team are doing, could be readily translated to the search for life on Mars. There has been a 'routine' interchange of planetary material between Earth and Mars over the aeons. Fitting surely that the sedimentary rocks sought lie in  A key lesson, is that light helps us see, but not all lights are equal. Light sources brighter than the sun become incredible scientific instruments. The longevity of the dinosaurs was highlighted, at least 140 million years. There is no comparison with homo sapiens then, even as those dates have been pushed further back in time. Time defeated me as I tried to make the observation that even the dinosaurs did not make it to their first galactic birthday (c.250 million years - and what a carousel). I like the thought (slide) of 'Earth as Memory'. 

What really counted was the expressed concern about what is happening now: in the Anthropocene.

The second keynote:
Nigel Gilbert - Policy in a Complex World: Towards Complexity-Aware Policymaking
Session Chair: Ali Idri 

Was helpful to me, as the dated conundrum of benefits realisation from our technologies, and evidence-based policy still leaves a gap (for me) within the POLITICAL care/knowledge domain of Hodges' model. The illustration/graphic elements of Prof. Gilbert's slides were a brilliant complement to the content:

Prof. Nigel Gilbert - WCCS26 21st April

I wonder if within policy the constant in the equation is continuity and as a quantity it is an unknown? This seems to the case in health policy, across successive governments. You may (also) find this chart informative: https://www.cecan.ac.uk/news/the-visual-representation-of-complexity/

Perhaps, a key factor in complexity is the fact that nothing stays the same, so continuity is nuanced? Michael Quinn Patton's book Developmental Evaluation was noted re. learning while doing. Now I wish I'd held on to Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods (4th ed.). The discussion of 'obesity system map' and 'whole systems analysis' was appreciated here.*

Since Marrakech and WCCS, I've noticed acknowledgement in the literature that 'research' is currently flooded with AI tools. I'm sure PRSM - Participatory System Mapper is a welcome addition, (as noted in iv) tools to facilitate participation are much needed:

Collaborative Creativity

The Participatory System Mapper (PRSM) is an app that makes it easy to draw networks (or 'maps') of systems, working together collaboratively.'

I will definitely check this resource out; and CECAN. After Prof. Gilbert, the next Track included my contribution, which I will return to. Rather distracted, I have a somewhat blurred slide, with: 'The global tensor of educational research is' then headed 'Learning poverty. Being unable to read and understsand a simple text; with points 1-4.'. I'm not sure which presentation this was, but zeroed in on the literacy theme, and the word tensor. Another slide refers to '6. Topological substitution for Success'. I think it is (writing this is helping recall!):

Harvey Spencer Sánchez-Restrepo, Jorge Louçã, Martha Belén Carmona-Soto and Sofialeticia Morales-Garza
Topological Patterns of Academic Success: Insights from Complex Network Analysis

'Always Label Your Axes' - Zazzle.

Before that there was another model, as the next keynote speaker: Chris Bauch demonstrated during the conference wearing a t-shirt:

Critical Transitions in Coupled Human-and-Natural Systems and their Early Warning Signals
Session Chair: Mohamed Essaaidi  

Previously: 'nexus'


*Jones P, Wirnitzer K. Hodges’ model: the Sustainable Development Goals and public health – universal health coverage demands a universal framework. BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health 2022;5: doi:10.1136/bmjnph-2021-000254

Wirnitzer, KC. et al. (2025) Toward a roadmap for addressing today's health dilemma – The 101-statement consensus report. Frontiers in Nutrition. Volume 12.
https://frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1676080 DOI:10.3389/fnut.2025.1676080

S. Bettiol, P. Jones, H. A. Onyedikachi, and W. G. Kernohan, (2026) Bridging Gaps in Oral Health Frameworks: Mapping With Hodges' Health Career - Care Domains - Model, Journal of Public Health Dentistry. 1–14, https://doi.org/10.1111/jphd.70034