[Challenges to medicine at the end of the 20th century]

A critical analysis is given of the present situation of modern medicine and an attempt is made to outline the challenges to medicine during the next decade. These are seen in the enormous over-population of the world, the over-aging of the population, the increase of chronic diseases and an alarming environmental pollution. However, the challenges to medicine also include the establishing of a new concept of health and a new health system combining both the maintenance of health and the curing diseases.