PEOPLE AND HEALTH CARE USA
By Corwin McIntyreAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2009 Corwin McIntyre RPh
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4389-9926-5Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.............................................viiPREFACE.....................................................ixCHAPTER ONE: HISTORY........................................1CHAPTER TWO: GREED..........................................7CHAPTER THREE: ETHICS.......................................13CHAPTER FOUR: ACTION AND REACTION...........................33CHAPTER FIVE: FACING REALITY................................41CHAPTER SIX: HEALTH CARE....................................47CHAPTER SEVEN: POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT........................55CHAPTER EIGHT: NOW..........................................69CHAPTER NINE: "WHAT IF".....................................89CHAPTER TEN: WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT............................97CHAPTER ELEVEN: WHAT IF AGAIN...............................119CHAPTER TWELVE: MONEY TALKS.................................127MEDICAL EXPOS: EPILOG......................................141CHAPTER FOURTEEN: TIME MARCHES ON...........................143CHAPTER FIFTEEN: NATIONAL MEDICAL TRUST.....................149CHAPTER SIXTEEN: PEOPLE AND TAXES...........................157CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: PEOPLE AND HOW...........................161THE EPILOG II...............................................165
Chapter One
HISTORY
ONCE UPON A TIME. Remember that phrase we related to our fairy tales of yesteryear.
It should be emphasized this book is not a fairy tale. It will be an eye opener for many readers.
In today's market, people are chagrined at the high cost of prescriptions. To address this situation, a look at the history of pharmacy is necessary. An excerpt from a book entitled "Medicine: An Illustrated History".
"Pharmacy has been a part of medical practice throughout the centuries. The physician frequently compounded and dispensed medications in addition to practicing medicine and the apothecary often engaged in medical practice as well as compounding and dispensing. Rivalry between the two groups, which was intense in the seventeenth century continued into the nineteen century. The respective roles of the physician and the apothecary or pharmacist gradually became clearer, but in some countries, notably the United States in the 19th century, the physician continued to prepare and sell medications out of economic necessity. The social position of the pharmacist in most places was high, and educational requirements after the seventeenth century became more and more rigorous, especially in Italy. In France the new standards grew to include a university education, special training internships, and even specialized certifications. In Germany, where the pharmacist seems virtually always to have occupied a high social and professional position, the apprenticeship system evolved into an elaborate progression of examination leading to stratification by educational accomplishments."
Medicine has endured a tremendously tumultuous time throughout the ages. This is exemplified by another excerpt from "Medicine: An Illustrated History".
"PUBLIC HEALTH"
"In the eighteenth century only the very wealthy could be assured of the services of a qualified doctor of medicine, and this of course forced the general public in the hands of mountebanks, quacks, and others poorly prepared to offer rational treatment. Dispensaries were scarce, hospitals had no organized clinics, and even people not actually impoverished had no place to turn for help. As a result, apothecaries gradually began to fill the void by responding to obvious needs of the public, thus destroying the monopoly of the physician. The situation led to eventual acceptance of the apothecaries as general practitioners within the medical community, but this uneasy alliance raised many questions of medical ethics. The principal statement in this field was made by Thomas Percival (1740-1804), who adopted a somewhat patronizing attitude toward apothecaries, but in his own conduct and in his book stressed those principles of professional conduct which are still valid today."
History sometimes gives one an appreciation for what we have today! Interesting to note that at one time barbers were equated to doctors. In the eighteenth century the apothecaries came into existence also with a lot of turbulence as illustrated again with excerpts from "Medicine: An Illustrated History".
"In England, besides the Royal Society, of which physicians made up the largest group, there was an entirely separate College of Physicians, whose functions included policing the profession, controlling quackery, regulating competition from other medical groups such as apothecaries, overseeing fees, and limiting personal feuds between physicians. There was an extraordinary openness with respect to research and medical information in the society, and its Philosophical Transactions was circulating at a time when special remedies and medical techniques were often kept secret. An interesting overview of the medical profession in the seventeenth century may be obtained by noting the conflicts between apothecaries and physicians in London. By 1617, apothecaries had dissociated themselves from grocers and formed their own society. Originally apothecaries were restricted to filling prescriptions exactly as physicians ordered, but they could perform bleeding. While physicians wished to maintain the status quo, the apothecaries sought to liberalize the restrictions. By the end of the seventeenth century the apothecaries had overcome the opposition and were permitted to practice medicine-without a physician's license. But the battle was bitter and stormy."
Currently the relationship between physicians and pharmacists today is a cordial one with mutual respect. The field of medicine has grown so large, the transition from apothecary to pharmacist is a subject other's can delve into. In some countries the practitioner is still called an apothecary., checking for compliance.
The dispensing doctor was forced to diagnose needs of the patient by whatever stock was on hand. The situation today has grown increasingly more complicated with the advent of more powerful medications as well as a much wider range of effectiveness. New ones replace old ones and researchers continually develop newer medications for patient care. Today, the physician has such a wide choice for his patient. This is done by just writing a prescription, and it is up to the pharmacist to supply. This creates a problem for the pharmacist to have the medication on hand for dispensing to the patient. There are so many medications on the market today. It behooves physicians and pharmacists alike to keep abreast of medication available for so many different ailments being presented by patients.
This is accomplished through various means of continuing education in the different fields of medicine. The physician has a tremendous choice and will develop a formulary of medications that he or she thinks are the best and use for the patient.
This prompts a comment about the passing out of samples by...
