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It is my intention here to examine the question of whether the psychoanalytic model fits the medical model. By model I mean a capsular design or description of the basic concepts, structures and tasks of a system, in this case of the medical and psychoanalytic systems. First, I will describe the medical model; some points are obvious, although the reality is more complex than I shall attempt to sketch.
Medicine is a technology, i.e., a system of practice based on certain kinds of scientific knowledge. The practice of medicine is an activity in which professional experts help patients suffering from disease and injury. What are professional experts, what is a profession? Sociologists have given this considerable thought without coming up with a completely satisfactory definition or description. The following, however, seems to describe the essential features: a profession must perform activities which are important for society. Such activities are the investigating and teaching of the relevant subject matter and in some cases service activities. There is a broad division between professions which teach and investigate and those which apply sciences in service functions. The practice of medicine obviously falls into the second category. To prepare themselves for such functions, members of the profession undergo prolonged and intensive training in their field in our highest institutions of learning. Professionals claim a certain independence in their field. This involves not only the