Medicine is rarely free of political and cultural influence and in the USA, the centuries-old fascination with individualism shapes medical practice and science in ways that are both obvious and obscure. At the obvious end of the spectrum, consider the current health-care reform debate. Opponents of comprehensive reform assert the primacy of the individual, not the government, and as a consequence, promote such policies as tax relief to allow individuals to purchase health insurance and the establishment of health savings accounts. This contemporary debate is only the current manifestation with the American enthralment with the power of the individual to control health. From Christian Science in the mid-19th century to today's bestselling book The Secret, self-help movements have held that we have the power to control our lives if only we knew how to harness it. Christian Science urged us to recognise the reality of God and thus attain our true healthy natures. New Thought, a movement that arose in the USA in the late 19th century, asserted that the power of our minds could heal us if we simply focused on positive thoughts and attempted to banish negative ones from our minds.
展开▼
