TY - JOUR T1 - Why family doctors should not advertise JF - The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners JO - J R Coll Gen Pract SP - 559 LP - 562 VL - 38 IS - 317 AU - Julian Tudor Hart Y1 - 1988/12/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/38/317/559.abstract N2 - Medical care is a form of production of values, but not of commodities. This article argues that advertising as it is normally understood is not appropriate to general practitioner care. Acceptance of advertising by the medical profession would assist in the commercialization of a currently non-commercial relationship between doctors and patients. We should refuse to take this step and accept our responsibility to devise better futures than the market has so far been able to provide. ER -