The logic of care : health and the problem of patient choice /

Mol (political philosophy, Univ. of Twente, the Netherlands) asserts that she will "contrast two ways of dealing with disease," viz., the "logic of care" with the "logic of choice." By logic she means rationale--the thinking that leads to patient choice or patient care as ideals. The logic of choice is the practice of enabling patients to make choices about their medical treatment, which has become more prevalent in the past 40 years or so. The logic of care, on the other hand, apparently refers to the patient as a passive individual who receives medical care but does not participate in decision making about that treatment; this might be referred to as physician choice. In either case, choices occur in the context of more or less information; the influence of family, friends, and the media; the condition of the patient; and the personalities of the physician and the patient. Mol attempts to embellish these ideas by discussing, among other things, diabetes patients. In this reviewer's judgment, this opaquely written book comes to very little, other than reminding readers of the varied nature of the doctor-patient relationship. Summing Up: Optional. Professionals/practitioners. D. Harper University of Rochester