[The medical responsibility for health and environment of future generations. The ecological dilemma in the meeting between medicine, environmental health services and protection].

Medical doctors are challenged to consider their responsibility for the health and environment of future generations. The fields of health, medicine, development and the environment overlap in various ways. This article describes ecosystem health and biohistory as new models of medical interest. The ecological dilemma, the biomedical model and postbiomedical thinking are also discussed. The municipal medical officer should regard the whole municipality, with its ecosystems, communities and organizations, as areas of medical concern. He or she should find a credible working style which opens up for interdisciplinary discussions and actions.