Volume 31, Number 5 · March 29, 1984
The Power of the Doctors
By Arnold S. Relman
The Social Transformation of American Medicine
by Paul Starr
Basic Books, 514 pp., $24.95; $11.95 (paper, May)
Social scientists have been perplexed by the remarkably favored position of doctors in American society. Few other professions conduct their affairs with so much autonomy and receive in return such generous economic benefits. In a country historically suspicious of privilege and authority doctors have enjoyed a large measure of both, and—at least until recently—their views have generally been accorded a respect usually given to astronauts, coaches of championship football teams, successful Wall Street analysts, and other heroes of contemporary culture.
Review, 4336 words
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