In Reply.—
Dr Nguyenle-Hieu makes some good points. I used the word few in the context of the practice of medicine over the next several generations. Perhaps the word virtually is overly optimistic, but I think it almost certain that by the year 1990 the maldistribution problem will be strikingly ameliorated and by the year 2000 will be a very small issue with only pockets of rural and inner city areas still markedly underserved.
In regard to physicians welcoming new doctors, I did not mean to imply a monolithic reaction, but I do believe the reception often will depend on perceptions about competition and income reduction. In areas where there is an ostensibly ample supply of physicians, some doctors will still be supportive, but others (as many young physicians will attest) will greet the newcomers as though they were interlopers suffering from pneumonic plague.
I think the comment about the
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