The Relationship between Medicine and Politics, Economy and Culture

In the mid-1970s, Foucault, a famous French scholar, turned his research to the study of "life politics". "Life politics" refers to "the behavior that began in the18th century and tried to rationalize the problems of health, birth rate, sanitation, longevity and race", trying to rationally manage and coordinate the vital signs of "population". Since18th century, the modern medical system has gradually begun to take shape. In Foucault's eyes, modern medicine has always been intertwined with politics. From the18th century to the19th century, three different medical systems appeared, but each was supported by political forces ... Ethnic medicine entered the18th century, and the concept of "population" appeared in the national governance literature in the modern sense. The relationship between the population and the country is no longer just understood in quantity, but in quality. The health of the population is closely related to the power of the state, and the "disease" that threatens health is no longer just an individual problem, but a political threat. At this time, the state power needs to use another force to govern the population. In this context, medicine, as a means of "treatment" and a science to ensure "health", naturally began to interweave with state power. This combination took place in Prussia at the beginning of18th century, which Foucault called "national medicine". First of all, a perfect disease monitoring system has emerged, and numerous observation points have been established nationwide to collect and count the situation of various diseases; Secondly, establish a standardized medical knowledge system and qualification standards; Finally, some relevant government departments have been established. Therefore, Prussia has formed a hierarchical health supervision system. Since then, medicine has actually entered the political system as a "health manager". In this form, personal health is no longer just a private event, it will be displayed, investigated, studied and closely surrounded by the state machine. In this sense, medicine is a politicized event, which provides necessary scientific knowledge and effective intervention means for national governance. Since then, medicine has become a political mechanism that can promote the growth of national strength. For individuals, their health is not only a private field, but also a political zone closely related to the whole country. Medical intervention is not an individual invitation, but a political act in the name of the country, and an intervention measure for the health and strength of the country. "Chinese medicine" has opened an era. Since then, medicine has become a key link in the national organizational structure and a scientific force that must be turned to in the operation of the national mechanism. Foucault called the second form in the development of modern social medicine "urban medicine". "Urban medicine" is not a medical form that directly points to national health. More reflected in urban planning and construction, its main concern is the "environment" of the city, that is, the urban spatial factors related to national health. This medical form appeared with the urbanization of France in the18th century. At that time, the main threat to the city was not from the outside, but from the inside of the city, from the fear of urban space being squeezed. It is in this context that the "isolation" mechanism of urban space came into being. First of all, unhealthy spaces should be moved to the edge of the city, such as cemeteries and slaughterhouses. These areas are considered as the cradles of diseases and a terrible threat to urban life. The second is the control of "circulation"-the circulation of air and water in the city. Broaden the streets, improve the rivers, and tear down the buildings that hinder the air circulation in the city. Finally, the classification and sorting of space. The location of clean water and sewage in cities should be clear, and drinking water and sewage pipes must be separated. Urban medical care is actually the redistribution of urban public space and the re-integration of public power in urban space ... Although there are great differences between ethnic medicine and urban medicine, they are both products of political needs and medicine. It is undeniable that the regime relies on medicine to manage and intervene in the country and cities. Under a "healthy" demand, modern medicine has penetrated into the field of political power. /kloc-the rise of labor medicine in the 0/8th century is also related to a new aid economy. /kloc-in the 0/8th century, a new population classification appeared in society. The "poor" in a broad sense have disappeared. They are divided into several categories: "good poor and bad poor, stubborn idlers and involuntary unemployed, people who can do some work and people who can't." In this division of labor, "labor" has become an important standard. As a result, large-scale relief work disappeared. The "poor" are distinguished according to whether they have jobs or not. Medical work is aimed at the sick poor, and they are transformed into people who are capable and willing to work through treatment. A new form of medical treatment has emerged: it is not only responsible for treatment, but also transforms the sick poor into people with working ability and economic usefulness. This is the embryonic form of modern medical security or medical welfare. /kloc-in the 9th century, Britain was the first country to have this medical form, which Foucault called "labor medicine". /kloc-the urban poor in the 0 th and 9 th centuries are not only political instability factors, but also medical hidden dangers (infectious diseases). Then, to solve this problem, we should not only start with political means, but also use medical practice to eliminate their threat. In fact, in Foucault's eyes, the rise of modern medicine has never been a reform and development within medicine. It is always intertwined with a political force. From ethnic medicine to urban medicine and labor medicine, although the starting point, point of action and forms of expression are different, they all got the support of the political power in the end. The introduction of the new poor law is also an example, whose main function is to strengthen the medical control of the poor in the form of welfare. This kind of medical assistance to the poor is basically to ensure the safety of the privileged class in the city and eliminate the hidden dangers of infectious diseases. In particular, the policy of separating the rich areas from the poor is largely aimed at reducing the threat of the poor to the life of the rich class, rather than simple medical assistance. ...