I've just finished reading Edward Shorter's excellent book Doctors and Their Patients, a social history of the evolution of the doctor/patient relationship. Shorter loosely divides the history of the medical profession into three periods: the traditional period when doctors had almost no ability to diagnose or treat patients, the modern period beginning in the nineteenth century when doctors could begin to effectively diagnose but still had few treatments, and the postmodern period beginning in the twentieth century when both diagnosis and treatment were possible for a wide variety of ailments.
As Shorter argues, the modern period was the apex of the doctor/patient relationship and that relationship has deteriorated even as doctors finally have acquired the means to cure their patients. It's indeed ironic that patients placed more trust in their doctors even when their doctors had almost no ability to cure them.
I spent a considerable amount of time in a hospital in the past month with a relative who was undergoing cancer treatment (partly the excuse for few posts here recently). Reading Shorter's book from within that environment was particularly enlightening. Just as he argues in the book, the ability of today's doctors and surgeons is absolutely outstanding — this family member underwent sophisticated treatment and then an astoundingly complex piece of surgery that has been very effective — but the quality of communication and the trust between the doctors and the patient is surprisingly lacking.
The specialist doctors and the surgeons were able to describe the technical aspects of her treatment effectively but were too hurried or unconcerned with the less direct concerns she had. This led to a great deal of anxiety and a general lack of trust in the doctors — even when they were doing everything they could and in hindsight it's evident that they were doing the right things.
While I agree to some extent with critics of Doctors and Their Patients, who argue that broader social and economic factors are missing from Shorter's argument, the book provides considerable insight into the history of the current doctor/patient relationship. I'd highly recommend it. People who will see doctors frequently will find it immensely helpful in explaining the postmodern hospital environment. Shorter's writing is also fluid and entertaining so even historiphobes might make it through unscathed.