[The behavioral code of "savoir faire" as a cover for physician helplessness? A contribution to the physician-patient relationship of the 18th century].

Eighteenth century literature contains critiques of physicians' behavior, as for example in Goethe's Faust. These critiques aim at the physicians' therapeutical incapacity which they try to compensate with a behavioral code called "savoir faire". This paper compares the critiques with the advices of medical authors given to their younger colleagues in the "savoir faire" literature. These sources often discuss, how to hide doubts, how to maintain the authority over the patients or to prevent complaints of malpractice. Obviously, physicians often didn't trust in their therapeutical proficiency and tried to bind their patients by inspiring a behavior of confidence, independent of the question of the real effectiveness of their treatments.