A article, by Luke Kemp, on the collapse of civilizations, cites historian and collapse expert Joseph Tainter, who proposes societies are a problem-solving collective that grows in complexity, in order to overcome new issues; and societies eventually collapse under the weight of their own accumulated complexity and bureaucracy. He believes the returns from complexity eventually reach a point of diminishing returns, until the collapse of a society ensues.

Medicine has reached a point of so much complexity that it is difficult to see the bigger picture, recognize commonalities in chronic disease, or unravel the mysteries of chronic disease. As the old saying goes, medicine can no longer see the forest for the trees. The treatment of symptoms and syndromes; lack of communication between specialties; random searching in research, hoping an answer will reveal itself; and the failure to identify root causes of chronic disease, has led to declining health and the crushing cost of medical care today.

In “The Origin of Disease: The War Within”, we try to simplify, unify, and unravel the complexities in chronic disease. We offer a principle of the whole based on the diagnosis of root causes in chronic disease; and propose routine diagnosis of root causes will lead to discovery of the causes and cures, simplify complexity, and benefit patients who live with chronic disease.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20190218-are-we-on-the-road-to-civilisation-collapse