Role of Medicine in Modern Society

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How has modern medicine shaped, and been shaped by, society? In this sermon titled “Role of Medicine in Modern Society,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses the recent increase of public interest in medicine and examines the shifts that have occurred. A paradigm exists today where the doctor simultaneously has both more and less power. The mystique of a doctor is gone-they are nothing more than a normal person-but the doctor's independence and perceived expertise has created a culture of dependence on them. From such position and power, three new dangers are noted to have arisen. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones discusses the realities of doctor and patient relationships, the influence of one’s personality and character by means of various drugs and operations, and the danger of a doctor’s declaration of authority over areas in which their dogmatism is not truly based on knowledge. How has the “personhood” of individuals been affected from the decreased emphasis on the “art” of medicine? Is this a good change? Dr. Lloyd-Jones foresees a future with increased psychosomatic focus and questions of issues with threats to individual liberty, reform, politics, amongst others.