"His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales has today published in the Journal of The Royal Society his vision of what he now calls "post-modern medicine" and previously named integrated health care...MY RESPONSE: 1) Integrated medicine is a smoke screen behind which any conceivable form of quackery is being promoted and administered; 2) The fact that patients are human beings who consist of mind, body and spirit is a core concept of all good health care and not a monopoly of integrated medicine; 3) The notion of 'ancient wisdom' is a classical fallacy; 4) The assumption that conventional medicine only treats symptoms displays a remarkable ignorance about modern health care; 5) The patient is at the heart of any good health care; 6) The application of unproven or disproved treatments to patients would make modern health care not more human but less effective; 7) The value of the notion of the "best of all worlds" crucially depends on what we mean by "best". In medicine, this must describe interventions which demonstrably generate more good than harm – not 'preferred by the future king of England'; 8) Some might find the point about inequalities affecting health offensive when it is made by an individual who profits millions without paying tax for the benefit of society. I don't think anyone doubts that medicine needs improving. However, I do doubt that Charles' vision of a "post-modern medicine" is the way to achieve improvement – in fact, I fear that is would lead us straight back to the dark ages." (22nd January 2013)