THE SOCIAL AND MEDICAL PROBLEM TODAY HAS SHIFTED FROM PROVIDING FOR THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL NEEDS OF THE INDIGENT SICK TO RAISING THE LEVEL OF LOWER CLASS PARTICIPATION IN THE BENEFITS OF MODERN MEDICINE. GREATER ATTENTION IS BEING FOCUSED ON MEDICAL DEPRIVATION SUFFERED BY LARGE SEGMENTS OF THE POPULATION WHO DO NOT SHARE EQUALLY IN MEDICAL PROGRESS. AN ANALYSIS WAS MADE OF FACTORS AFFECTING THE SEEKING OF MEDICAL CARE IN A SAMPLE OF 1,883 ADULTS OVER 21 YEARS OF AGE LIVING IN A CERTAIN HEALTH DISTRICT OF NEW YORK CITY TO DETERMINE HOW DIFFERNCES IN SOCIAL ORGANIZATION AMONG CULTURAL SUBGROUPS CAN LEAD TO DIFFERING HEALTH ORIENTATIONS AND MEDICAL BEHAVIOR. MANY FACTORS WERE DISCOVERED WHICH ENHANCE THE EXISTENCE OF MEDICAL DEPRIVATION. CULTURAL VALUES WERE FOUND TO AFFECT BOTH THE PERCEPTION AND INTERPRETATION OF SYMPTOMS AND THE SEEKING OF MEDICAL TREATMENT. THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF URBAN SLUMS MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR THE LOW INCOME INDIVIDUAL TO RELINQUISH HIS JOB AND RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCEPT THE DEPENDENT ROLE OF PATIENT. ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL LEVEL, MEDICAL DEPRIVATION IS CHARACTERIZED BY NARROW HEALTH HORIZONS, A LOW LEVEL OF ASPIRATION CONCERNING PREVENTIVE CARE, AND A LOW LEVEL OF EXPECTATION OF AVOIDING DISEASE. FINANCIALLY, LOWER INCOME GROUPS ARE LESS ABLE TO AFFORD MEDICAL CARE AND THEREFORE ARE RELUCTANT TO SEEK TREATMENT. SOLVING THE PROBLEM OF MEDICAL DEPRIVATION WILL INVOLVE CHANGING VALUES OF BOTH THE LOWER INCOME AND PUBLIC HEALTH GROUPS. THE ASPIRATIONS OF THE MEDICALLY DEPRIVED SHOULD BE BROADENED, AND MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH SHOULD ACTIVELY REACH OUT AND BRING SERVICES TO THE LOW INCOME POPULATION. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED TO THE AMERICAN ORTHOPSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION, NEW YORK, MARCH 18, 1965.