Caroline Ford: Models in science – a research blog

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    [post_content] => Models have many different functions. In science models are widely employed to help understand things that cannot be viewed directly. The idea is to imagine a simplified system or process that might be expected to exhibit the basic properties or behaviour of the real thing, and then to test this model against more complicated examples and modify it as necessary. Homeopathy employs models too, for example to describe the body’s process of healing and the possible mechanism of action of a remedy, amongst others.

The models that scientists develop take many different forms. In some cases they are actual physical constructions. A good example of this kind of model would be one that represents the Earth, Moon, and Sun as small wooden spheres that are mechanically moved in such a way as to illustrate the phases of the moon, eclipses, and so forth. These are known as orreries and were popular in the 18th Century. Some models are much more abstract consisting of a series of equations or many lines of computer code. Other models may be nothing more than mental images that are developed in an effort to picture something unseen, such as a radio wave.

Models change with changes in current scientific knowledge

Models can only be as accurate as the current state of scientific knowledge about the phenomenon they describe. Like anything in science, models come under scrutiny and change over time. The most familiar example of a historical progression of a model is probably the model of the atom which progressed from Billiard Ball model (John Dalton 1803) to Plum Pudding model (J J Thompson 1867) to Planetary model (E Rutherford 1909) and then the Bohr model (Niels Bohr 1913) depicting quantised energy levels and looking a bit like a dart board.

Although models can be powerful, they can also be misleading. Some people get confused with models and reality. For instance, it is claimed* that Albert Einstein used the model below when asked to describe the radio:

"You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat."

Einstein’s cat causes confusion

A heated discussion may ensue about what type of cat has such a long tail! We can draw similarities here with the confusion surrounding the “memory of water” model to explain a plausible mechanism of action by the ultra-high-dilution of a remedy. The model refers to the changes in the physical structure of the water clusters following a certain process (dilution and succussion) and not the notion that water molecules have a brain!

It is not unusual for there to be different models to explain the same phenomenon, each model having its own supporters and providing a source of heated debate. Regarding models of disease perhaps the most well-known models are those based on the postulates of Antoine Bechamp (micro-organisms could be correlated to a disease) and Louis Pasteur (micro-organisms could be the cause of disease). What models do you use to simplify an explanation?

* www.alberteinsteinonline.com/#quotes, accessed 30 August 2020

For more information on modelling the mechanism of action in homeopathy, see https://www.hri-research.org/hri-research/how-do-homeopathic-medicines-work/

Caroline Ford RSHom is a member of the Society of Homeopath's Research Committee.

Material published in this section of the website does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Society of Homeopaths.
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Models have many different functions. In science models are widely employed to help understand things that cannot be viewed directly. The idea is to imagine a simplified system or process that might be expected to exhibit the basic properties or behaviour of the real thing, and then to test this model against more complicated examples and modify it as necessary. Homeopathy employs models too, for example to describe the body’s process of healing and the possible mechanism of action of a remedy, amongst others.

The models that scientists develop take many different forms. In some cases they are actual physical constructions. A good example of this kind of model would be one that represents the Earth, Moon, and Sun as small wooden spheres that are mechanically moved in such a way as to illustrate the phases of the moon, eclipses, and so forth. These are known as orreries and were popular in the 18th Century. Some models are much more abstract consisting of a series of equations or many lines of computer code. Other models may be nothing more than mental images that are developed in an effort to picture something unseen, such as a radio wave.

Models change with changes in current scientific knowledge

Models can only be as accurate as the current state of scientific knowledge about the phenomenon they describe. Like anything in science, models come under scrutiny and change over time. The most familiar example of a historical progression of a model is probably the model of the atom which progressed from Billiard Ball model (John Dalton 1803) to Plum Pudding model (J J Thompson 1867) to Planetary model (E Rutherford 1909) and then the Bohr model (Niels Bohr 1913) depicting quantised energy levels and looking a bit like a dart board.

Although models can be powerful, they can also be misleading. Some people get confused with models and reality. For instance, it is claimed* that Albert Einstein used the model below when asked to describe the radio:

“You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat.”

Einstein’s cat causes confusion

A heated discussion may ensue about what type of cat has such a long tail! We can draw similarities here with the confusion surrounding the “memory of water” model to explain a plausible mechanism of action by the ultra-high-dilution of a remedy. The model refers to the changes in the physical structure of the water clusters following a certain process (dilution and succussion) and not the notion that water molecules have a brain!

It is not unusual for there to be different models to explain the same phenomenon, each model having its own supporters and providing a source of heated debate. Regarding models of disease perhaps the most well-known models are those based on the postulates of Antoine Bechamp (micro-organisms could be correlated to a disease) and Louis Pasteur (micro-organisms could be the cause of disease). What models do you use to simplify an explanation?

* www.alberteinsteinonline.com/#quotes, accessed 30 August 2020

For more information on modelling the mechanism of action in homeopathy, see https://www.hri-research.org/hri-research/how-do-homeopathic-medicines-work/

Caroline Ford RSHom is a member of the Society of Homeopath’s Research Committee.

Material published in this section of the website does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Society of Homeopaths.

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