A brief history of the American Board of Family Practice: the Second Annual Nicholas J. Pisacano, MD, Memorial Lecture

Family physicians have evolved from general practice. General practice had its roots in Great Britain when the class systems were dominant. While formally educated physicians limited their practice to the laned gentry and royalty, general practitioners responded to the health needs of the poor and underclasses. General practitioners offered counsel and prescribed treatment in exchange for monetary or other rewards, which was not dissimilar from the barber-surgeons of the day.