Talk:Disease

Definition[change source]

I've reverted the good-faith, but mistaken, definition of disease. Disease is not a synonym for "infection". Infection is "the invasion of the body by pathogens."

If disease were another word for infection then "non-infectious disease" would be a nonsensical phrase, rather than a major area of medicine.

Also, the distinction between disease and illness is generally taken to be one of perception: you are "diseased" if there is something objectively wrong with the function of your body (whether or not you perceive a problem); you are "ill" if you perceive a problem (whether or not a problem exists). WhatamIdoing (talk) 17:33, 16 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

That defn was supported by a source, and your replacement was not; also the para went on to say that broader senses were also used. Macdonald-ross (talk) 19:55, 16 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The source says, "a definite pathological process having a characteristic set of signs and symptoms. It may affect the whole body or any of its parts, and its etiology, pathology, and prognosis may be known or unknown." Infection isn't even mentioned in it. I have reverted to an accurate definition, and re-added the source. WhatamIdoing (talk) 20:00, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]