Everything in my Western tradition, in my training
and in my gut tells me I am--or at least should be...

Health care for the indigent has been an issue in Western society for at least 1,700 years. The irony is that it has only been in the past 100 or so years that access to health care has actually made any real difference to life span or quality of life for any of us, whether rich or poor. In fact, a pretty good case can be made that it was not until the beginning of the 20th century that a visit to the doctor was more likely to be helpful than harmful.

Fourth-century hospices founded by the Benedictines actually had little to do with health care. Their functions were to provide lodging for the wayfarer, care for orphaned children and provide what was usually terminal care for the indigent sick. From the fourth century until the early 20th, there was no medical service that could be provided in the hospital that could not be provided at home. The physician's role was extremely limited. Hospital admissions were governed by rules of charity, not medical decisions...

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