World Science Forum

Budapest 2003

Knowledge and Quality of Life

Hans Wigzell

President, Karolinska Institutet

Hans Wigzell

Karolinska Institutet

- at micro and individual levels 

- at pheno and group levels 

- at social levels 

- at national, regional, global levels 

gives rise to measurement challenges, communication and understanding 

Quality of Life defined

Hans Wigzell

Karolinska Institutet

Evolutionary knowledge implies self-organization Managed knowledge implies power

- implying opportunism, technology, innovation 

- implying forms and distribution of Quality of Life

Knowledge in some form drives Quality of Life

Hans Wigzell

Karolinska Institutet

- but 100 billion neurons, synapses in the brain 

- and the working of the brain only partially known 

- and we have evolutionary learning and hidden knowledge (interaction brain and environment over time)

 - hence always limited knowledge

- hence behaviour is always systematic and random

Knowledge defined as “coded information in the brain”

Hans Wigzell

Karolinska Institutet

• Evolutionary knowledge (learning, tacit knowledge, experience)

Very broad scope – the winner in the end?

• Knowledge by intuition and power

Middle range scope • Knowledge produced by scientific methods

Limited scope?

Knowledge in Quality of Life-Contexts:

Hans Wigzell

Karolinska Institutet

Knowledge and science create value and reduce cost

Uncured diseases ranked by cost to society:

• Heart disease

• Cancer

• Alzheimer´s

• Diabetes

• Arthritis

• Depression

• Stroke

• Osteoporosis

The expected benefits from investment in medical science are enormous and will remain so

Hans Wigzell

Karolinska Institutet

Quality of Life: Cancer Survival Rates- Acute Lymphatic Leukaemia

1964-66: 4 %1994-96 89%

-BBreast Cancer1964-66 65%1994-96 84%

-PProstate Cancer1964-66 45%1994-96 72%

-TTesticle Cancer1964-66 49%1994-96 95%

Lung Cancer women men1964-66 11% 8%1994-96 10% 10%

(Source: The National Board of Health and Welfare)

Hans Wigzell

Karolinska Institutet

Knowledge allows control of one´s destiny?

Hans Wigzell

Karolinska Institutet

” A PREVENTATIVE LIFESTYLE IS BETTER THAN ANY CURE ”

DO: Educate yourself

Eat balanced food

Sleep

Be physically active

Vaccinate yourself

Strengthen your social life

DON'T: Smoke

Have sex without protection

Stress

Hans Wigzell

Karolinska Institutet

Knowledge about brain function

Better insight into the processes of brain function

New strategies for improving and restoring brain function

Therapy for children with ADHDTherapy for patents with stroke

Improved Quality of Life

Hans Wigzell

Karolinska Institutet

Living in the Information Society

• The knowledgeable and demanding patient

• Easy access to information/knowledge

• Rapidly information turnover/transfer

• Patient wants involvement in treatment

• Interest in self care/home care

Hans Wigzell

Karolinska Institutet

Accessibility to useful information is a bottleneck

Hans Wigzell

Karolinska Institutet

Artificial self-assembling information systems are badly needed

Hans Wigzell

Karolinska Institutet

Scientific knowledge is built on logic

Seemingly logical assumptions can create major errors in “knowledge”

Example: Allergies are increasing all over the world

Earlier considered reasons: Allergy is caused by bad indoor milieu etc

= Increasing hygiene is “good” advice!

New facts: Early contact with micro organisms and allergens give protection!

Hans Wigzell

Karolinska Institutet

Will increased knowledge always improve quality of life?