Webster's New World Dictionary defines health as a state of "physical and mental well being: freedom from disease". Faith T. Fitzgerald believes that a well or healthy person is one who is "not only physically whole and vigorous, but also happy and socially content" (p. 90, Fitzgerald). If health and healthy behaviors were mandated, society may become physically more fit, but they would also experience a loss of individuality. Among the reasons for this loss are the issue of blame for disease, a lack of fulfillment of individual needs, and lastly, a loss of choice.
If a certain standard of health is mandated and considered normal, then all those individuals who fail to achieve this standard of health are blamed for doing something inappropriate or wrong (p.91, Fitzgerald). One good example of such blame is in the movie "The Road to Wellville" where strict vegetarianism is considered the only acceptable form of healthy eating. All meat eaters are therefore shunned and considered "wrong-doers". Because of the inherent need to do right and be accepted, many people rejected their desires and followed the healthy vegetarian circle and tried to be just like Dr. Harvey Kellogg, the model vegetarian. Like Kellogg they believed that any disease these carnivores may incur, is considered to be deserved, because they acted in an unhealthy fashion by eating flesh. Another example of blame for disease is in the film "Patient as a Number". After Cholera broke out in the cities in the 1850s, groups of people began to believe that those who were struck with the disease were deserving of it because they did not get enough excercise and fresh air. They believed that Cholera was a form of "divine punishment" by God. A health and fitness frenzy termed "Muscular Christianity" began in order to achieve a certain standard of health so as to escape punishment from God. Once again many people followed the craze, and in turn began to judge and blame all those individuals who did not attempt to follow. Both of these examples prove that if we create a standard where health is normal, then any disease or sickness is a "fault". This reasoning leads us to believe that "disease, aging and death are unnatural acts" which can either be prevented or fixed (p.91, Fitgerald). Focusing on health prevention alters the individuals into wanting and trying to look, act, and feel as if they are among the "healthy". They all try and fit into the mold, sacraficing their own beliefs, and in doing so their uniqueness vanashes.
Secondly, imposing a standard of health causes a lack of fulfillment of individual needs. With modern medicine, the patient has become one in a statistic. If a person goes in to a physician to be treated for their ailments, they are usually grouped into a category according to their symptoms, and sometimes dangerous possibilities are not properly analyzed (Patient as a Number). For example, if someone goes in to the doctor during a flu epidemic and describes their symptoms as including a mild fever, stuffy nose, and a sore throat, they may be diagnosed with the flu when they really have a sinus infection. This type of doctoring is susceptible to faulty diagnosis and could lead to disastrous results. Each individualís particular needs are not being met if they are being looked at as part of a group.
Lastly, when people are not given the right to choose what they need for themselves, their potential to be truly happy and satisfied is limited. In "The Road to Wellville", Dr. Harvey Kellogg, owner of the Sanitarium commanded, in the name of modern medicine, that masturbation and sexual activity was a sin unless it was done for the express purpose of procreation. He claimed that sexual activity causes a loss of vital fluids creating an unnecessary shock to an individuals system. Will, one of Kelloggís patients, suffered immensely from this regulation. Within the first few days of arriving at the sanitarium, he quickly became overwhelmed with desires, and consumed with thoughts of sex and masturbation. If this rule against sex had not been in place, Will could have had the choice as to when to give in to his weakness and gratified some of his sexual needs. Toward the end of the movie, Will chose to go against the standard in order to be gratified and happy, and in doing so, he exhibited personal responsibility. This display of personal responsibility is an important part of being a person. If a person is never given the opportunity to choose what they need for themselves in order to be happy, they lose touch with who they are. If all of their decisions are laid out for them each individual becomes a part of a monotonous group, and all individuality becomes lost in the transition.
In order to thrive, a society needs a certain amount of guidance in the form of regulation, as well as allowances for human foible. If society were to impose regulations on individual citizenís to take certain steps to make their minds and bodies be a certain way in the name of "health", individuality would cease to exist. Instead we would end up with a "model citizen", and millions of unhappy people striving to be exactly like that model.