Second, in the clinical realm a common task is to recognize distinctions among similar phenomena that require different forms of intervention (Fukayama & Osawa, 2006). In 1969, the number of different recognized epileptic syndromes was 125; today, there are over 300, and the new distinctions have helped identify different gene defects in different patients and have led to different treatments (Fukayama & Osawa, 2006). Similarly, the progressive recognition of meaningful heterogeneity among breast cancers and gynecological cancers has improved treatment success for each (Bunnell & Winer, 2002; Greven, 2005). Chronic pain treatments have been improved as researchers have come to recognize important distinctions among patients (Turk, 2005). Across diverse areas of science, a continual process of identifying new distinctions among entities takes place and bears clinical fruit (Morgan, 1997).
