ABSTRACT
Health is a highly dynamic force which has shaped m odern societies. After a long period in w hich health was thought of very m uch in relation to medicine's perceptions of disease, we are at a point in time where our view of health is being redefined - increasingly and persistently both by the m arket and by citizens. Health, it seems, is everywhere and we are caught up in a debate of w hat this ubiquity m eans.1 Is it a new tyranny or a m eans to greater self-determ ination? Is better health a personal responsibility, or should there be significant action by the public sector to ensure health, including a restriction on goods and services that endanger health? Is health a private good or a joint responsibility of all citizens? How m uch health security should we expect from the state and how m uch can really be provided?
