 lung diseases but not of their allergic etiology.
It is of considerable practical importance to discover the etiology of a disease, because it pro vides a sound basis not only for pathogenetic and expectant treatment but also for specific action by therapeutic agents on the causative factor, for example, the use of antibiotics to treat infectious diseases. Determination of the etiology of a disease is also the basis for rational preventive measures (for example, vaccination against infectious diseases).
The term “etiology” is also used in veterinary medicine.
I. V. MARTYNOV