Print| « Previous | Next » |
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
IN PRAISE OF HYGEIA: THE ROLE OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN HEALTH REFORM
By Jonathan Stewart
Community Health Institute/JSI
“I swear by Apollo the Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panaceia and all the gods, and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfill according to my ability and judgment this oath . . .
Thus begins one modern translation of the Hippocratic Oath. Hygieia and Panaceia were two competitive daughters of Asclepius, the Greek father of medicine. Hygeia, the goddess of health, was known for preventing illness. Panacea, the goddess of cure, was known for treating illness. Prevention versus cure as represented by these two ancient goddesses gave rise to a dichotomy in societies’ approaches to health and healing that exists to this day.
Ironically, Panacea was overshadowed by her sister and her father in many accounts of the ancient world. Perhaps due to limitations of medical science then, she was most associated with healing herbs and little of her mythology remains today. Hygeia on the other hand, is more celebrated in ancient art, hymns and texts and is sometimes referred to as The Health. Adopted by the Romans, Hygeia became known as Salus Publica Populi Romani – the one who controlled the public health and welfare of the Roman people and guardian against the spirits of disease and pestilence.
Let us fast forward to today. Remarkable advances in biomedical research and technology have elevated the role of medical intervention to a supreme position in terms of social investment and organization of systems to produce health. And yet, as in ancient times, the demand for curative services has outstripped the ability of people to pay for these services. Most of the current debate in health care reform focuses on attempting to address this imbalance by increasing access to affordable health insurance for the many millions left outside the current system.
However, a relatively unnoticed aspect of health reform seeks to address a more age old imbalance through establishment of a Public Health Investment Trust. The Public Health Investment Trust would invest in core public health infrastructure, community health (where the concept of community is as important as the concept of health) and prevention services. Such investments in public health must be a substantial part of our response to the unsustainable trend in health care delivery costs regardless of the preferred option for insurance funding – public or private.
During the Renaissance, as greater knowledge of anatomy and disease processes was unfolding, the French philosopher Michel de Montaigne argued for the need to not lose sight of the integrated concepts of holistic prevention and physical cure:
“Those who wish to take our two principal pieces apart and to sequester one from the other are wrong. We must on the contrary couple and join them closely together. We must command the soul not to withdraw to its quarters . . . and abandon the body . . . but to rally to it, take it in its arms and cherish it . . . and when it strays set it to rights and bring it back home again.”[i]
Similarly, as we pursue health care reform today, let us not only call for health care insurance reform, but bring back home an appropriate balance between prevention and cure. Hygeia will be pleased.
[i] Quoted from Carol Collier, University of Ottawa: The Body as Teacher: From Source of Knowledge to Object of Knowledge. http://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Anth/AnthColl.htm
Tags: citizens health initiaitive, Commmunity Health Institute, Health Care Reform, Jonathan Stewart, prevention versus cure, prevvetnion, public health
Great blog. Can’t wait to see what you come up with next!
This write-up makes me understand that people have to take alot more attention of ourself and each other.
Nice post. Just found it on AOL. tks 4 the useful info. Keep up the good work