Morality for the Medical–Industrial Complex

Abstract

Gainful employment has traditionally been one of medicine's goals.¹ Even the Hippocratic corpus includes suggestions about gaining the respect and attracting the business of patients.² Because of physicians' economic concerns, the history of medicine is rich with controversies about the setting of fees, the control of competitors, and the improvement of the financial status of physicians.^{3 4 5} It should come as no surprise that medicine as a cottage industry was practiced at least partly for profit. Nor is this in itself evil. Medicine is not an endeavor of amateurs nor usually of mendicant friars.To acquire an adequate appreciation of medical . . .