Editor—I have read the definitions of general practice in the editorial by Heath et al with
interest but dissatisfaction. 1 None of them is succinct, and they tend to stay closely allied to …

In the early 1920s Andrew Manson, newly qualified, set out to practise general medicine in
south Wales. First he was neglected by an absent principal general practitioner. Then he …

Patients and doctors are actors in a play written by history, directed by culture, and produced
by politics. Over recent years, the producer has become increasingly autocratic, ignoring the …

The irresistible swing towards medical specialisation has brought advantages for patients,
but arguably it has gone too far. 1 As Horder puts it,“people are whole units who go wrong …

The past 100 years have produced several important changes in general practice. It was
during this time that general practice established itself as a separate specialty in medicine …

EDITOR—At the recent “Clinical Futures” conference, and in the book, 1 a subtheme
emerged about the perceived redundancy of the general practitioner. Diagnosis would be …

SIR,-A retired academic physician who elects to comment on general practice either is
somewhat foolish or must have a compelling reason. Without ruling out the first of these …

A strong case is being made in many countries that the traditional model of general practice
needs to change. Critics claim that practices are too small and too isolated, that they are …

One set of responses to three key subjects discussed in Building Your Own Future would
produce a change from traditional British general practice, based on personal care, towards …

After some 30 years of medical development focusing largely on hospitals, organ
specialisation, and high technology, the 1960s saw the revitalisation of general practice (in …