Ethical Components in the Definition of Health

This paper argues that definitions of health contain ethical components that rest on value systems, and that these definitions have consequences as well as causes. The components of the definition of health are considered first in the vertical dimension of levels of organization, namely, organic, functional, and social. There is no one-to-one correspondence between definitions at these levels of organization. The great part of the discrepancies between levels arises from variability in the social component, particularly the component of values and ethics, in the definition of social roles defined by health status. The components of the definition of health are considered next in the horizontal dimension of breadth. These components relate to areas in which the health professions have claimed or rejected concern and competence. Changes in these components through time and with social circumstance are illustrated by three main examples: the relation of organized obstetrics to family planning and abortion, the relation of psychiatry with the law, and the historical evolution of the responsibilities of public health.