Abstract
This paper examines whether today's professions in general, and medical doctors in particular, have been 'withering' in terms of their distinct occupational features, which modern occupational sociologists constructed according to the model of the 'classic professions' such as doctor, lawyer, and priest. Systematic theory, authority, community sanction, ethic codes, and the sub-culture as the distinct features of the professions seem to be eroding today, as a society undertakes drastic changes in many respects. Medical profession as an concrete example is analyzed in the face of the challenges of 1) market, 2) state intervention, 3) patients' power, and 4) technological development. The conclusion is that today's medical practitioners are not the 'classical professions' any more.
