A discussion on the scientificity of the theory of vital principle as a relativistic phenomenon and the concept of minimum dose

Historical perspective of vitalism

In the 5^th century BC, Empedocles (496–430 BC) identified pneuma (spirit) with life or ‘vital breath’. Galen (130–200 AD) elaborated on this theory and applied it to his concepts related to physiology. Galen believed that the vital spirit was derived from the Universal Spirit (Divine Life) and that, at the human level, the breath acted as the vehicle for this spirit. This theory received a death blow with Harvey’s (1578–1657) discovery of the circulation of the blood, which disclosed Galen’s innocence of the structure and function of the cardiovascular system. However, vitalistic theories of 18^th-century medicine dominated medical thinking for the next two centuries.^[4]

Friedrich Wöhler’s discovery of the artificial production of urea in 1828 is the first example of creating an organic substance through chemical means from inorganic materials. This discovery destroyed the till-then-accepted distinction that organic bodies originate under the influence of vitality, whereas the production of inorganic bodies is through artificial methods.^[5]

During the 19^th century, the doctrine of vitalism, also known as neo-vitalism, prevailed for several decades. According to this doctrine, there is a vital force (distinct from all physical and chemical forces) inherent to all organic matter, dead or alive, that sustains life and allows organic matter to organise itself during a process of so-called spontaneous generation. In 1864, Pasteur disproved the doctrine of spontaneous generation. From the end of 1970 to the present times, the tremendous growth of knowledge in the field of biology and synthetic biology explains that the concept of the power of self-organisation inherent in macromolecules of cells is due to very subtle physical and chemical properties.^[6-8] These inventions ended the belief in immaterial vital theory among the majority of the scientific community.

Concept of living things in modern science

The biological structures of living things are subject to five fundamental principles of biology: The cell theory, gene theory, evolution, homeostasis, and laws of thermodynamics, for example, an organism is an open system/open loop and must rely on its environment to complete a closed system, and it follows the second law of thermodynamics through exchanges of information (negentropy) and mass and energy. In the closed loop, there is a flow of energy that is obtained through interactions with the environment, for example, the flow of energy (adenosine triphosphate [ATP], electrons and protons) along the cell membranes and within the intracellular organelles. There is a need for an energy source to maintain a continuous flow of energy.^[9-12]

Food is a source of energy. This food is converted to chemical energy by the organism, after which this energy recirculates within the closed loop. The organism uses some of this energy to perform various functions (e.g., homeostasis or replication) remaining energy is stored in the form of materials such as starch and glycogen.^[9-11] This thermodynamics of non-equilibrium systems results in the emergence of organised systems, such as organisms.^[9]

Energy flows along with information (genetic) and preservation of information by copying makes life possible. The biological process of adaptation to environmental influences also helps the preservation process. This has facilitated the process of evolution and avoided extinction.^[9,11,12]

The vital principle is a relativistic phenomenon

Dr. Hahnemann described the concept of vital force (in the 9^th–17^th aphorisms) in the Organon of Medicine. In the sixth edition of the Organon of Medicine, he replaced the word vital force with vital principle (10^th aphorism of the sixth edition).^[13] Vital force and vital principle have different meanings; force means energy, whereas principle means a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behaviour or a chain of reasoning. According to Hahnemann, ‘The material organism, without the vital force, is capable of no sensation, no function, no self-preservation, it derives all sensation and performs all the functions of life solely by means of the immaterial being (the vital principle) which animates the material organism in health and in disease’.^[13]

In this aphorism, he said that function, self-preservation, sensation and animation are the indicators of the presence of vital force. If they are not present, the organism is deemed dead. Functions imply different physiological functions; self-preservation implies homeostasis and immune functions; sensation implies perceiving a variety of sensations by interacting with the environment; and animation implies means different kinds of motions of the organism. All these factors are closely associated with the five fundamental principles of biology. When energy flows through a loop or network based on the five basic biological principles, it creates a living thing from non-living material. This vital principle is relativistic in nature. Without this loop or network, the organism is considered dead. The following analogy can help us to understand these concepts comprehensively.

An observer in point A observes the closed system in point B. If the five basic biological concepts are working together within this closed system, then the observer in point A observes the existence of life in point B. If any one or more fundamental biological concepts fail to function/are absent within the system, then the observer in point A observes the absence of life/dead or material things. Thus, the vital principle is relativistic in nature. We notice this principle only when the five fundamental biological concepts work together within the closed loop.^[9-12,14,15]

Einstein’s theory of general relativity says that what we observe as the force of gravity arises from the curvature of space and time. Likewise, what we perceive as a vital principle or force arises from the interaction between the fundamental principles of biology in a network or loop.^[12,14]

We can also understand the theory of vital principles with the help of the virus life cycle theory. The virus is lifeless when it is outside a living cell. After getting in contact with the living cell, it enters into the host cell with the help of its protein codings and hijacks the host cellular mechanism. Now, it behaves like a living thing. The viral genetic material itself is not a living thing. It acts alive when it becomes an integral part of the biological cell cycle circuit.^[12,16,17]

Here, viruses make use of energy from ATP and fundamental ingredients for replication.^[17] Thus, energy itself or the information itself cannot make life. The energy flow along with information and preservation of information by copying makes life possible. The biological process of adaptation to environmental influences also helps the preservation process.^[9,11,12,14]

Thus, vital force is simply the process of life. Here, the energy flow through the network/loop of fundamental principles of biology makes living possible. Macro-organisms such as humans also exist due to this principle. Atoms come together to form molecules. Different molecules, such as deoxyribonucleic acid, ribonucleic acid, and proteins interact to create organelles. These organelles then combine to form cells. Cells get together and form tissues. Tissues are united and generate organs. These organs interact with each other through complex network systems that made the existence of the multicellular organism.^[12,14] Based on these facts, we can say that Hahnemann’s vital principle is a collective concept of five fundamental principles of biology and a relativistic phenomenon.