Monopoly or freedom of healing? The role of medicine in a modernizing society

Samuel van Houten, Joost van Hamel and Rudolph van Holthe tot Echten submitted a petition to the Dutch parliament, requesting the liberalization of 1865 laws on medical practice. J. Slingenberg used an international comparison of medical legislation to argue that the introduction of freedom of healing would lead to a deterioration of public health. The Dutch Journal of Medicine has another major response to the petition coming from medical circles: the report from the Medical State Committee. Its final conclusion was that the results in no way substantiate the view of those who feel that it is in the interest of mankind to recommend the practice of medicine without scientific training. It was thought dangerous to proclaim freedom of healing, because unqualified healers posed a risk for their patients and even for society at large. The petition touched on the boundaries of law and medicine it was impossible to settle the dispute using arguments derived from the disciplines.