ABSTRACT
Three concepts that are common in medicine are "health", "disease" and "disability". On the surface, health might seem simply to be the absence of disease, and disease a departure from health. This, however, is not the way the use and definition of these terms have evolved. Disability seems neither to be a disease nor an absence of health. Myopia (near-sightedness: i.e. distant images are out of focus) is an interesting example of a disability. Many professions are involved in the promotion of health in addition to medicine. The spectrum includes social work, clinical psychology, pharmacology and sports. It is this broad spectrum of contributors that gives substance to the WHO definition. The pivotal concept in clinical medicine is disease. The concept of health, however, has expanded in the last 60 or so years. It now encompasses physical, mental, emotional and social aspects.
