The new academic medical center

To the Editor: Dr. Creditor's observations on the varied activities of the contemporary hospital (March 15 issue)¹ overlook the merits of many support programs that the modern medical center offers. One of medicine's major deficiencies has been to ignore the psychological trauma of illness and loss. Support groups for the bereaved and chronically ill have been repeatedly demonstrated to reduce psychiatric morbidity.^{2 3} Creditor's comment that elements of the human condition such as reproduction, alcoholism, drug abuse, personality, and emotion have one by one been incorporated into the portfolio of the health professions is redundant. They have always been essential elements.