▁the ▁case ▁of ▁health care ▁pract ition ers . ▁Al bre cht ▁Von ▁Hall er ' s ▁( 1 7 0 8 – 7 7 ) ▁' ir rit ability ' ▁hypothesis ▁and ▁its ▁failure ▁ade qu ately ▁to ▁explain ▁the ▁phenomen on ▁of ▁life , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁the ▁w an ing ▁capacity ▁of ▁the ▁Western ▁ment ality ▁to ▁particip ate ▁living ▁nature ▁that ▁lay ▁at ▁the ▁root ▁of ▁the ▁Hi pp ocr atic ▁system ▁of ▁hum ours ▁( or ▁no etic ▁capac ities ), ▁led ▁to ▁a ▁split ▁between ▁those ▁who ▁cl ung ▁to ▁the ▁ancient ▁tradition , ▁but ▁in ▁name ▁only ▁( be coming ▁rout in ists ▁or ▁empir ic ists ), ▁and ▁those , ▁largely ▁in ▁the ▁univers ities , ▁who ▁sought ▁a ▁( material - me chan ical ) ▁scientific ▁basis ▁regarding ▁life ▁and ▁medicine . ▁This ▁split ▁led ▁to ▁a ▁widely ▁acknowled ged ▁crisis ▁in ▁Western ▁‘ med ic ine ’ ▁in ▁the ▁latter ▁half ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 7 0 0 s . ▁ ▁That ▁medicine ▁c . ▁ 1 8 0 0 ▁was ▁caught ▁in ▁the ▁thro es ▁of ▁a ▁found ational ▁crisis ▁is ▁test ified ▁to ▁by ▁numerous ▁sources ▁and ▁above ▁all ▁by ▁the ▁documented ▁collect ive ▁st riv ing ▁of ▁all ▁leading ▁European ▁countries ▁to ▁totally ▁reform ▁medicine . ▁No ▁later ▁than ▁the ▁ 1 7 8 0 s ▁– ▁as ▁the ▁sources ▁clearly ▁show ▁– ▁were ▁the ▁leading ▁do ctors ▁aware ▁of ▁the ▁critical ▁situation . ▁ ▁Rom antic ▁medicine ▁and ▁dynamics