Benjamin Tucker on the Therapeutic State

"Upholding thus the right of every individual to be or select his own priest, they [Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Josiah Warren, and other anarchists] likewise uphold his right to be or select his own doctor. No monopoly in theology, no monopoly in medicine. Competition everywhere and always; spiritual advice and medical advice alike to stand or fall on their own merits. And not only in medicine, but in hygiene, must this principle of liberty be followed. The individual may decide for himself not only what to do to get well, but what to do to keep well. No external power must dictate to him what he must and must not eat, drink, wear, or do." ("State Socialism and Anarchism: How Far They Agree, and Wherein They Differ,"Liberty, March 10, 1888)

Cross-posted at Free Association.