Evidence-based medicine is rooted in Protestant exegesis

Abstract

Evidence-based medicine (EbM) has been practised for about a decade now. Until now, it has generally been accepted that EbM has its roots in medical thinking of mid-19th century France. Due to the startling fact that France never was a centre of EbM, historical tradition was reconsidered. Since EbM has mainly been flourishing in Protestant countries, a qualitative historical investigation was conducted according to the approach of Max Weber's "The Protestant Ethics". Thus, it could be shown that there are three major prerequisites for EbM to evolve apart from current technical developments, such as the computer and the internet: (1) historical critical exegesis functioned as a methodology to balance contradictory passages; (2) both an equality based relationship among physicians and a Protestant concept that lay people are considered equal in the theologic debate were fundamental to EbM as a new approach of medical thinking; (3) mostly nationally funded health care systems are prone to practise EbM as they are obliged to provide health care which is both fair in access and allocation to the whole population. Against the background of historical exegesis, it has to be taken into account that EbM implies a twist in medicine towards a concept of textual criticism rather than the mere introduction of statistics. Moreover, it both relies upon and enhances a more equal relationship between physicians.