THE DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPY OF HEALTH
ABRAM BLAU M. D.1
1 The Child Psychiatry Division, Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City.
Dynamically, health is the phase of the life process characterized by relatively efficient and stable homeostatic balance of vital forces. It consists of a minimum of maladjustment within the individual and in his relation to society and physical environment, a capacity for ready recovery from disturbances, and a fair assurance of the continuation of the stability. However, its evaluation is relative and varies according to the perspective of the individual, the physician, or society.
Descriptively, the concept of health is synonymous with those of personality or constitution. Traits are also its unit features.
A pathology of health is a valid view and refers to defects and limitations.
The therapy of health is concerned with the maintenance of health, the alleviation and improvement of defects, the forestalling of disturbance of health by disease and the protection of community health. An adequate nosology requires a paired diagnosis including the basic health (constitution or personality) of the individual in addition to the active disease process so that treatment can be properly focused on each.
