Medical Care and Health

[Stephen Bezruchka]

The new issue of the Int. J. of Epidemiology has an article by John Bunker
and two commentaries by Hart and Frankel on the roles of health care in
producing population health.  All are worth reading.  There is scant such
discussion in literature anywhere.  I lean towards what Frankel calls
Illich's nihilistic polemic, but recognize that some of the advances in
medical care should have some effect on population health, but this is
very difficult to demonstrate.
STephen

*****

The role of medical care in contributing to health improvements within
societies

        John P Bunker
        Int. J. Epidemiol. 2001;30 1260-1263.
        http://ije.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/full/30/6/1260

Commentary: Can health outputs of routine practice approach those of
clinical trials?

        Julian Tudor Hart
        Int. J. Epidemiol. 2001;30 1263-1267.
        http://ije.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/full/30/6/1263

Commentary: Medical care and the wider influences upon population health:
a false dichotomy

        Stephen Frankel
        Int. J. Epidemiol. 2001;30 1267-1268.
        http://ije.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/full/30/6/1267