261
See also: George Ritzer 120–23 ■ Robert Putnam 124–25 ■ Ulrich Beck 156–61 ■
Erving Goffman 264–69 ■ Michel Foucault 270–77; 302–03S
ociety has become acutely
aware of the dangers posed
by medicine. Over-use of
diagnostic x-rays in pregnancy,
which can lead to childhood
cancers, and harmful prescription-
drug interactions are examples.
The Greek word “iatrogenesis”—
“brought forth by a healer”—is used
to describe such problems. Radical
Austrian thinker Ivan Illich argues
that the medical establishment has
become a serious threat to human
life because, in conjunction with
capitalism, it is an institution
that serves itself and makes more
people sick than it heals.
Illich suggests there are three
main types of iatrogenesis. Clinical
iatrogenesis is when a harm arises
that would not have occured
without medical intervention;
less resistance to bacteria from
the over-prescription of antibiotics,
for example. Social iaotragenesis
is the medicalization of life: more
and more problems are seen as
amenable to medical intervention,
with expensive treatments being
developed for non-diseases. Minordepression is, for example, often
treated with habit-forming drugs.
The agencies involved, such as
drug companies, have a vested
interest in treating people this way.
Even worse, for Illich, is cultural
iatrogenesis—the destruction of
traditional ways of coping with
illness, pain, and death. The over-
medicalization of our lives means
that we have become increasingly
unwilling to face the realities of
death and disease: doctors have
assumed the role of priests. ■THE ROLE OF INSTITUTIONS
HEALTHY PEOPLE NEED
NO BUREAUCRACY
T O M A T E , G I V E B I R T H ,
A N D D I E
I V A N I L L I C H ( 1 9 2 6 – 2 0 0 2 )
Hospital births, uncommon before
the 20th century, are cited by some
as an example of social iatrogenesis—
the increasing, and unncecessary,
medicalization of life.IN CONTEXT
FOCUS
Iatrogenesis
KEY DATES
c.460–370 BCE Hippocrates,
a physician in ancient Greece,
believes medics should not
cause harm to their patients;
iatrogenesis becomes a
punishable offence.
1847 Hungarian physician
Ignaz Semmelweis
recommends surgeons
wash their hands to reduce
infection-related deaths.
1975 Ivan Illich, in Medical
Nemesis, claims that the
medical establishment
constitutes a major threat
to human health.
2002 David Clark, professor of
medical sociology, argues that
terminal cancer patients are
given ravaging chemotherapy
treatments as a result of
human-centered treatment
that offers false hope.