General and Specific

There is a classic syllogism. All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal. I think most people find this argument valid, sound, and convincing. We all know we are going to die. And we accept such a fact. Yet, when it comes down to specific mechanisms of death, they all seem to be in theory avoidable. If only we had caught it earlier, if only we had given the right antibiotics, if only we were able to administer tPA in time. There doesn't seem to be a single disease that, in principle, cannot be overcome. There is no disease that doesn't have active research working towards treatments, no disease that we have given up on. Yes, there are diseases and disorders that are fatal, but we think this is a limitation of our knowledge and medical ability, not an insurmountable foe.

This leads to an interesting impasse. We all know we are going to die. But every possible way in which we could die - every disease or accident - could be eliminated. And hence medicine has picked a fight such that no matter how many battles we win, we will always lose the war.