Health in the Age of Politics.

Source

AJPH Associate Editor.

Abstract

Health has long been understood in a social context. Even in the days of Hippocrates it was recognized that where you live, both socially and geographically, shapes to some extent your vulnerability to disease. More recently, economics and financing have found a niche in health and health care in the United States. The recent surge in health care behavioral economics, the use of incentives to influence health care, and the introduction of Wall Street profit-and-loss rules of trade into heath care management are all manifestations of the increasing role of finances in this arena. Politics, on the other hand, has always been part of human discourse, no matter the subject. Health is no exception. It is said that the great 19th century physician and public health expert, Rudolph Virchow, was once dispatched by the rulers of then Germany to assess a public health crisis faced by a community. After a thorough evaluation, his prescription was simple and to the point: "Let them have freedom." Virchow's recommendation was a clear indication of the link between population health and the political structure of a nation.

TimAllenMDJD

Saturday, October 27, 2012