Læknablaðið - 15.02.1989, Blaðsíða 12

56
LÆKNABLAÐIÐ
EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR
PHILOSOPHY OF MEDICINE
AND HEALTH CARE
In August 1987, the European Society for
Philosophy of Medicine and Health Care
(ESPMH) was founded and its first conference
was held at Maastricht, the Netherlands, with
»the Growth of Medical Knowledge« as its main
topic.
The goals of the Society are:
1. To stimulate and promote the development of
knowledge and methodology in the field of
philosophy of medicine and health care;
2. To be a center of contact for European
scholars in this field;
3. To promote international contacts between
members in the various countries of Europe.
Health-related issues increasingly influence the
functioning of social security systems (social
welfare systems) and demands for health care
strain the national budgets of most western
countries. In our culture, resulting problems tend
to be approached by searching exclusively for
technocratic and econometric solutions.
Philosphical analysis and ethical evaluations have
long been needed. Recently, however, Faculties of
Medicine, professional organizations, and to a
certain extent, the popular mind, have shown an
increased awareness of these deficiencies. New
teaching programs and research projects on
metamedical subjects are now being introduced.
Thus it seems imperative that these early
renovating efforts should be strengthened
through contacts and cooperation at a European
level.
The ESPMH was instituted by an international
company of philosophers, physicians, ethicists
and other interested professionals in the field with
a view to the growing need for critical reflection
on the role of medicine and health care in our
present society.
Future activities will involve:
- Publication of shcolarly papers;
- Publication of a Newsletter in which members
will be informed of local publications, activities
and events, research topics, thus aiming at an
exchange of current information not usually
covered by the present internationally leading
journals;
- The organization of annual conferences to be
held in a different European country
successively;
- Intensifying contacts with other relevant
organizations such as the Society for Health
and Human Values.
Membership is open to scholars who wish to
participate in the ESPMH activities or to be
informed of developments in the field of
philosophy of medicine and health care, by
subscription to the Society’s Charter.
Membership dues have been established at Dfl.
50,- or the equivalent in local currency for
individual members and at Dfl. 500,- or its
equivalent for institutional members. By courtesy
of the publishers, members are offered a
preferential subscription rate for the Journal of
Medicine and Philosophy and Theoretical
Medicine. Furthermore, members will receive
reductions on admittance fees and on
publications of papers presented at the Society’s
conferences.
Members of the Executive Committee of the
ESPMH are: P. J. Thung, MD, professor of
Metamedicine at Leiden University, the
Netherlands, (President); H. A. J. ten Have, MD,
PhD, professor of philosophy of medicine,
University of Limburg, Maastricht, the
Netherlands, (Secretary and President-Elect); G.
K. Kimsma, MD, MPh, general practitioner,
Westzaan, the Netherlands, (Treasurer); R.
Downie, PhD, professor of moral philosophy,
University of Glasgow, United Kingdom,
(Member); B. I. B. Lindahl, Dr Med Sc associate
professor, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm,
Sweden, (Member).
Those interested in membership of the Society are
invited to forward their names and addresses to:
ESPMH Secretariat
Prof. dr. Henk ten Have
Department of Health Care Ethics and
Philosophy
University of Limburg
P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht
The Netherlands