ABSTRACT
In primary care, clinicians are faced with the task of advising individuals about the generation and treatment of illnesses that arise, among other factors, out of their behaviour. A consideration of the interrelation between those illnesses and autonomous individual behaviour seems therefore apposite. This chapter gives the meaning of the word 'illness' in its established sense: that of a biological process causing human suffering, which may lead to the seeking of professional help. It considers briefly how some of these themes may affect resource allocation decisions in healthcare. Modern Western clinical ethics accords greatest importance to the principle of respect for personal autonomy. The chapter focuses on to empirical work demonstrating that links exist between various behaviours and negative health consequences. Broadly speaking, such studies are quantitative and derive from large populations – the meat and drink of epidemiology. In primary care, the relationships between clinicians and patients are of prime importance.
