What is Preventive Medicine?

The aim of preventive medicine is the absence of disease, either by preventing the occurrence of a disease or by halting a disease and averting resulting complications after its onset. Preventive medicine can be practised by governmental agencies, primary care physicians and the individual himself.In the past, many diseases have been conquered by doing things for the individual. The present challenge of preventive medicine is to motivate the individual to practise his own prevention. Possible means of achieving this motivation are described and many require the active participation of the primary care physician.