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Thomas J. Liesegang, MD

Arch Ophthalmol. 2008;126(9):1292-1295.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

INTRODUCTION

Immanuel Kant stated, "Everything has either a price, or it possesses dignity."^1(p53) Downie further elaborated that professionals should be "independent of the state or commerce."² Medicine is the prototype profession, incorporating a specific body of knowledge; a demonstrated competence in defining problems and solutions; a commitment to self-improvement, self-monitoring, and self-regulation; a system of admission and monitoring new members; and an ethical responsibility to use the unique knowledge and competence for the best interests of patients (ie, to resolve conflicts of interest in our patients' favor).³ In recognition of certain conduct, society confers professional status to physicians, but this privilege must be repeatedly earned for the status to be preserved. In this article, I delineate the specific challenges peer-reviewed medical journals face in this age of commercialism within the medical profession.

THREATS TO MEDICAL PROFESSIONALISM

Commercialism is such a threat to the professional ethics of individual physicians that Angell⁴ concludes . . . [Full Text of this Article]

THE COMMERCIALISM OF MEDICINE

NEW GENERATION MAY NOT VALUE PROFESSIONALISM

EFFECTS OF COMMERCIALISM ON JOURNAL CONTENT

REVERSING THE COMMERCIALISM TREND

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Author Affiliations: Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida.

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