While this had much improved medical practice by defining with increasing certainty the pathophysiological basis of disease, a single-minded focus on the pathophysiological had diverted much of mainstream American medicine from clinical conditions that were not well understood in mechanistic terms, and were not effectively treated by conventional therapies.
Mens dette havde forbedret medicinsk praksis kraftigt, ved at definere, med stigende sikkerhed, den patofysiologiske basaldel af sygdom, et ensporet fokus på det patofysiologiske havde afledt meget af mainstream amerikansk medicin fra kliniske tilstande der ikke var særligt godt forstået i mekaniske termer, og ikke blev effektivt behandlet af konventionelle terapier.