ABSTRACT
Power is closely related to the control of resources, or, in the vernacular of the hill country, “them that has, gets.” The power structure of medieval times legitimated the exploitation and near- starvation of millions, but simultaneously the Church, at the apex of this power structure, provided the “welfare,” the orphanages, homes for the aged, and hospices, as well as food for the unattached poor. With the onset of modern science and the formation of the research-oriented medical schools the power and prestige of medicine grew. By the 1950’s, Freidson notes that the medical profession had “professional dominance” over all other health workers, except for the “deviant” practitioners such as chiropractors. Given the centrality of cost problems in health at present, regulation for cost control is a growth industry, a major area for inspecting the complex relationships between the state, the service deliverers, and the consumer.
