Paradoxale progressie of logische ontwikkeling? De relatieve vooruitgang in de geneeskunde

Since the end of World War II important developments have occured in the medical field. Therefore, many people see this period as a supreme epoch in medicine. In his book "The rise and fall of modern medicine", James Le Fanu, general practitioner in London, analyses four paradoxical phenomena which seem to contrast sharply with this view: a great number of doctors take little pleasure in their work, increasing numbers of people worry about their health, the popularity of alternative medicine is rising, and the resources allocated to health care are escalating. In this contemplative article, in which drugs play a central role, these paradoxes are considered more closely and it is stated that there is no 'fall', but a realtive and continual 'rise' in medicine.