Medical Professionalism and the Parable of the Craft Guilds
Authors: Harold C. Sox
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2007)

Editorials4 December 2007Medical Professionalism and the Parable of the Craft GuildsHarold C. Sox, MD, EditorHarold C. Sox, MD, EditorSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-147-11-200712040-00015 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Professionalism has deep roots in Western society. In his book, Death of the Guilds, E.A. Krause (1) makes a compelling case that the medieval European craft guilds are the antecedents of today's professions. The craft guilds have not survived. As a commentary on the article by Campbell and colleagues in this issue (2), I will argue that, like the guilds, the medical profession exists in a 3-way relationship with government and business. As such, its privileged position in society is subject to changes in the balance of power. I developed some of these ideas in a recent essay (3).The ...References1. Krause EA. Death of the Guilds. New Haven: Yale Univ Pr; 1996. Google Scholar2. Campbell EG, Regan S, Gruen RL, Ferris TG, Rao SR, Cleary PD, et al. Professionalism in medicine: results of a national survey of physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2007;147:795-802. LinkGoogle Scholar3. Sox HC. The ethical foundations of professionalism: a sociologic history. Chest. 2007;131:1532-40. [PMID: 17494802] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Starr P. The Social Transformation of American Medicine. New York: Basic Books; 1982. Google Scholar5. Wennberg JE. Understanding geographic variations in health care delivery [Editorial]. N Engl J Med. 1999;340:52-3. [PMID: 9878647] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Fisher ES, Wennberg DE, Stukel TA, Gottlieb DJ, Lucas FL, Pinder EL. The implications of regional variations in Medicare spending. Part 1: the content, quality, and accessibility of care. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:273-87. [PMID: 12585825] LinkGoogle Scholar7. Fisher ES, Wennberg DE, Stukel TA, Gottlieb DJ, Lucas FL, Pinder EL. The implications of regional variations in Medicare spending. Part 2: health outcomes and satisfaction with care. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:288-98. [PMID: 12585826] LinkGoogle Scholar8. ABIM Foundation. ACP-ASIM Foundation. European Federation of Internal Medicine. Medical professionalism in the new millennium: a physician charter. Ann Intern Med. 2002;136:243-6. [PMID: 11827500] LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Disclosures: None disclosed.Corresponding Author: Customer Service, American College of Physicians, 190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoProfessionalism in Medicine: Results of a National Survey of Physicians Eric G. Campbell , Susan Regan , Russell L. Gruen , Timothy G. Ferris , Sowmya R. Rao , Paul D. Cleary , and David Blumenthal How to Achieve a High-Performance Health Care System in the United States Thomas James III Metrics Cited ByCurriculum in Interventional Cardiology: Setting Up Professional StandardsTeaching Note—Beyond Bricoleur: A Guiding Portrait of the Advanced GeneralistFrom Craft to Profession: The Path to Highly Predictable Cancer CareSystems model of physician professionalism in practiceCounterpoint: Sowing the Seeds of Standardized Care to Reap Better Patient OutcomesMeasuring and Improving Value of Care in Oncology Practices: ASCO Programs from Quality Oncology Practice Initiative to the Rapid Learning SystemHow to Achieve a High-Performance Health Care System in the United StatesThomas James III, MD 4 December 2007Volume 147, Issue 11Page: 809-810KeywordsBehaviorCardiovascular diseasesConflicts of interestHealth careHealth care quality assessmentMedical educationMedicareMotivationTaxes ePublished: 4 December 2007 Issue Published: 4 December 2007 CopyrightCopyright © 2007 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...