In April, 1995, 392 teaching hospitals were surveyed by questionnaire regarding status quo of general medicine in Japan. Independent department of general medicine was established in 11 university and 16 non-university teaching hospitals (11.6% of the respondents). There were another 23 hospitals-3 universtiy and 20 non-university hospitals-in which general medicine was practiced at other department. Therefore, 50 hospitals (21.5% of the respondents) had a group of physicians practicing general medicine in one way or another.
Many problems surrounding general medicine, however, were raised, especially about conceptual gaps between generalist physicians and specialists or patients. It is mandatory for clinicians and educators in general medicine to make the concept of general medicine explicit in understandable words for other specialists and lay people. In addition, high quality practice, education and research products are essential to attract more doctors of younger generation.