Dismal nobility??? Kindly Explain!

Through the millennia, and almost universally in all cultures, the medical profession has been accorded a special place. Doctors have been variably called Gods, benefactors, healers, and have always held a special role in society, be it the shaman, or the hepatobiliary surgeon (although some might question the difference between the two). One bill that doctors have very rarely been given is that of a businessman. Perhaps that is testament to the actual nobility of the medical profession in the centuries gone by. I believe it has more to do with a nervous patient base wanting to believe that their physician was looking out for their (the patient’s- it’s interesting I have to clarify this) best interests. Recent evidence has suggested, though, that this isn’t necessarily the case, and medical professionals are just as susceptible to incentive structures (read: money) as are business people, and that the “business” of medicine is as much of a business as any other.

However, as far as businesses go, health care is rather unique in terms of how remarkably susceptible it is to market failures. This makes health economics a different brand of economics, but economics all the same, because monetary incentives, and not so much nobility of the soul seems to drive medical decisions and medical professionals. This shouldn’t be construed as an attack on the medical world though. All I am saying is, we are Gods no more.