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A PHILOSOPHY OF MEDICINE

A PHILOSOPHY OF MEDICINE To the Editor:— The time-honored meaning of the word physician is under close scrutiny. We need an immediate and a long-range philosophy of medicine. The immediate needs must come from within the profession. There must be unity in principles, unity in action, and unity of dedication to the fundamental motivations and principles that facilitated the emergence of medicine as a great science. The motivation of the physician today will have tremendous impetus on the future of medicine. If our primary motivations are knowledge of disease, understanding of the patient, and treatment of the patient, we shall remain true physicians, humanitarians, and practitioners of the healing art. But when our primary motivation revolves around economics, we are in trouble. The latter motivation is then subject to legislation, controls, third-party intervention, and numerous alien impacts on the patient-physician relationship. The large increase in number of malpractice suits against doctors and hospitals proves http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png JAMA American Medical Association

A PHILOSOPHY OF MEDICINE

JAMA , Volume 170 (14) – Aug 1, 1959

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Publisher
American Medical Association
Copyright
Copyright © 1959 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved. Applicable FARS/DFARS Restrictions Apply to Government Use.
ISSN
0098-7484
eISSN
1538-3598
DOI
10.1001/jama.1959.03010140094024
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

To the Editor:— The time-honored meaning of the word physician is under close scrutiny. We need an immediate and a long-range philosophy of medicine. The immediate needs must come from within the profession. There must be unity in principles, unity in action, and unity of dedication to the fundamental motivations and principles that facilitated the emergence of medicine as a great science. The motivation of the physician today will have tremendous impetus on the future of medicine. If our primary motivations are knowledge of disease, understanding of the patient, and treatment of the patient, we shall remain true physicians, humanitarians, and practitioners of the healing art. But when our primary motivation revolves around economics, we are in trouble. The latter motivation is then subject to legislation, controls, third-party intervention, and numerous alien impacts on the patient-physician relationship. The large increase in number of malpractice suits against doctors and hospitals proves

Journal

JAMAAmerican Medical Association

Published: Aug 1, 1959

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