The Medical Profession: Altruistic or a Self-Interested Threat to the Public？

<p>Traditionally the medical profession in modern neo-liberal societies has been seen as highly virtuous, subordinating its own interests to the public interest. As such, it has been viewed as an archetypal profession not only in the health sphere, but also amongst other professions. However, in the wake of the 1960/70s counter culture, there has been contestation and controversy as the medical profession has come under attack for being self-interested, placing its own interests above those of the wider population under the guise of an altruistic ideology. It has variously been seen as being involved in deleteriously engaging in everything from imperialistically expanding the scope of medicalization to the unwarranted persecution of alternative health practitioners. This has been reflected in shifts in mainstream social theory from the more supportive trait and functionalist approach to the now dominant and more critical neo-Weberian perspective.</p><p>Drawing on empirical examples, this presentation highlights the debate about whether the medical profession can be considered altruistic or self-interested, underlining the importance of having a clear methodological framework for the assessment of this issue, as well as the often misconceived complexity of the debate—epitomized by the fact that self-interests and the public interest are not always counterposed. This discussion is also treated critically from a theoretical viewpoint as neo-Weberianism has been challenged by other perspectives—not least by Foucauldianism and Marxism. While they have their own weaknesses, these perspectives highlight that the medical profession cannot be seen simply as an island, but is linked to the broader socio-political structure of governmentality and capitalism.</p><p>However, if the altruism claims of the medical profession need to be examined in a wider context, this is most strongly accentuated by the neo-institutionalist approach which views medicine and other professions as one institution amongst others fighting for survival in an ecology of institutional forms. Understanding the altruistic or self-interested orientation of the medical profession in this environment is very important not only sociologically, but also from the viewpoint of health policy. This is particularly the case in terms of the regulation of the medical profession where in several neo-liberal countries there has been a recent shift from self-regulation underwritten by the state to regulated self-regulation in which there is more formal external control of bodies of medical practitioners to protect the public.</p>