Care under threat in the modern world

Despite enormous progress in the understanding and treatment of disease dur ing the 20th century, the amount of care individuals receive from health pr ofessionals is arguably less than in previous decades. Being in the presenc e of caring people who practised human caring has always been the bedrock o f services to individuals who were ill. With the rise of scientific positiv ism in the mid-19th century, traditional ways of caring for sick people, no t susceptible to scientific investigation and intervention, were either aba ndoned or discouraged. The spread of outcome-orientated health services has led to care being redefined as the provision of the finest form of treatme nt that is financially viable. The spectre of a service in which the human dimension of caring is either prescribed or seen as invalid gives cause for concern. This paper argues for urgent re-examination of what we understand by 'care'.