An Experiment with Comprehensive Medicine

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Abstract
A recently established clinic for the comprehensive or integrated treatment of patients at the Washington Univ. Medical School is described. It is "geared mainly to the restoration or achievement of sustained optimal functioning of the patient as an organism rather than mainly to the diagnosis and treatment of a specific disturbance in such functioning, i.e., an illness." The setup of the clinic and its method of procedure is reviewed. It includes on its staff a team of workers consisting of psychiatrists, medical interns, a psychiatric social worker, and a psychologist. Advanced medical students are also included in the organization for training purposes. The results of one year''s operation have demonstrated that the clinic fulfills a most useful function in relation to patients. It provides an over-all effort of rehabilitation to some 300 new patients per year. It also serves a valuable function in the training of students and hospital personnel, and in providing material for psychosomatic research.

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