Postura publicitaria y postura comunicativa: hacia una ética de la publicidad en medicina.

Starting of from the notion that medicine presents a plurality of aims, it is proposed that it should be conceived as a "science of actions" rather than as a "science of objects". Health is not a neutral "object" that could be unambiguously defined and approached from any vantage point solely with the standards of a detached impersonal generalized observer. It is a construction in at least three domains: the personal, the scientific and the societal. Against this background, medical acts (as those performed in other "ethical professions") are construed as occurring in a communicative context which can be differentiated from the context of marketing and advertising on the basis of reciprocity and respect. Implications of this proposed framework are examined in terms of axiologic dimensions of health care and medical practice.