Family doctors have an extensive knowledge of the communities in which they work, particularly social and economic circumstances, which have a "predictable effect on health", a major medical conference was told yesterday.
The annual spring meeting of the Royal College of General Practitioners is taking place in Northern Ireland for the first time. The college is the professional body for family doctors in Britain.
Prof Chris Van Weel, of the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands, highlighted some national differences in medical culture, pointing to the American obsession with "the bug" as an external threat to the body. In contrast, the German view prefers vitamins as a means of fostering resilience, while the French regard the liver as the universal source of illness.
Addressing the future of European general medical practice, Prof Van Weel said the most important issue will be to pursue the "value basis" of family medicine: "Medical care with a fundamental respect for the individual, solidarity with the sick, availability of the personal doctor, because it is part and parcel of a `just' society, reflecting fundamental European values."
The William Pickles lecture - named after the pioneering first president of the RCGP - will address the question: "The Doctor - Hero or Villain?"
Dr Ann-Louise Kinmonth, Professor of General Practice at Cambridge University, will attempt to resolve two apparent paradoxes of modern medicine. The first is between the aspiration for greater partnership between patients and their doctors and the concurrent wish for superhuman doctors who will always be there for patients.
The second paradox lies between technological medicine, where a small number of individuals can benefit dramatically, compared to the potentially large returns of preventive medicine.
Following publication in the UK last week of the consultation paper "Protecting Patients", there will be keen interest in the address by Sir Donald Irvine, president of the General Medical Council. The proposed reforms follow harsh criticism of the GMC from both the public and doctors.
The conference continues at the weekend and will be reported in Monday's Irish Times.