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).
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