ABSTRACT
The philosophy of healthcare can resemble a boxing ring, with opposing views defending their respective corners. Medical systems of knowledge are therefore torn between the desire for 'closure' which will allow for diagnosis of disease, clinical research and technical control, and the 'openness' of experiential reality arising from an engagement with the patients' illnesses and suffering. Virtue and ethics are inextricably linked, and this brings us back to Wittgenstein's belief that ethics is a fundamental part of daily life. Ethics and virtue are both concerned with how personal conduct impinges on others and on the community at large. Healthcare could be viewed as a victim of its own success. As treatments become increasingly skilled and the public expects the best possible results, increasing specialisation becomes inevitable.
