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In the Name of Medicine
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
TO THE EDITOR:
Dr. Berkenwald [1] eloquently described the complexity of terminology. I would like to add, however, that our profession's adoption of the word allopath should be reconsidered. The term is now used in editorials and articles in major journals and papers [2-4]. The distinction between homeopath and allopath may have been a logical one to Hahnemann (the founder of homeopathy), but today we have naturopaths who treat illness with natural remedies; osteopaths, who place particular emphasis on the spine; and a host of specialized therapies to prevent and cure every ailment. In this sense, allopathy is perceived as just one of many styles of practice, limited by its (apparent) use of foreign or synthetic (and therefore bad) substances.
Does the term allopath do justice to hospice care, geriatric home visits, or preventive medicine? Does it describe the healing touch of a physician's hands, assurance to the worried well, or repair of a defective heart? Ironically, a good history and physical examination are the essence of holistic medicine, which patients think allopaths cannot provide. The term distills the entire practice of a medical doctor into a stereotype that creates assumptions by our patients about what we do.
Do not doubt that there is power in a name. Let's drop the label allopath. Why not refer to ourselves the old-fashioned way, as medical doctors or even physicians?
Katherine Gundling, MD
University of California, Davis, Medical Center; Sacramento, CA 95817
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
- Copyright ©2004 by the American College of Physicians
