<PAGE>   1
    As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 3, 1998

                                                 REGISTRATION STATEMENT NO. 333-

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
                            -------------------------

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                            -------------------------

                                 SELFCARE, INC.
             (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

        Delaware                                    04-3164127
(State of Incorporation)               (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

                               200 PROSPECT STREET
                          WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS 02154
                                 (617) 647-3900


   (Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of
Registrant's principal executive offices)


      SELFCARE, INC. AMENDED AND RESTATED 1996 STOCK OPTION AND GRANT PLAN

                            (Full Title of the Plan)

                      ------------------------------------


                                  RON ZWANZIGER
                      CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
                                 SELFCARE, INC.
                               200 PROSPECT STREET
                          WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS 02154
                                 (617) 647-3900

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code,
of agent for service)

                          ----------------------------

                                 With a copy to:
                              Stephen W. Carr, P.C.
                           GOODWIN, PROCTER & HOAR LLP
                                 Exchange Place
                                 53 State Street
                        Boston, Massachusetts 02109-2881
                                 (617) 570-1000

                          -----------------------------


                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
 Title of Securities Being          Amount to be        Proposed Maximum Offering  Proposed Maximum Aggregate       Amount of
         Registered                Registered(1)             Price Per Share             Offering Price         Registration Fee
----------------------------  ------------------------  -------------------------  --------------------------  -------------------
<S>                           <C>                       <C>                        <C>                         <C>
Common Stock, par value $.001      500,000 shares               $9.25(2)                  $4,625,000(2)               $1,365
per share
============================  ========================  =========================  ==========================  ===================
</TABLE>

(1)      Plus such additional number of shares as may be required pursuant to
         the Selfcare, Inc. Amended and Restated 1996 Stock Option and Grant
         Plan, as amended, in the event of a stock dividend, reverse stock
         split, split-up, recapitalization or other similar event.

(2)      This estimate is based on the average of the high and low sales prices
         on the American Stock Exchange of the Common Stock of Selfcare, Inc. on
         January 30, 1998 pursuant to Rules 457(c) and (h) under the Securities
         Act of 1933, as amended, solely for purposes of determining the
         registration fee.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
<PAGE>   2
                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT


Item 3.        Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.

         Selfcare, Inc. (the "Company") hereby incorporates by reference the
documents listed in (a) through (c) below, which have previously been filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission.

         (a)      The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB/A for the fiscal
                  year ended December 31, 1996;

         (b)      All other reports filed since the end of the Company's 1996
                  fiscal year pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the
                  Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange
                  Act"); and

         (c)      The description of the Company's common stock, par value $.001
                  per share (the "Common Stock"), contained in its Registration
                  Statement on Form 8-A, filed with the Securities and Exchange
                  Commission on June 14, 1996, as amended, under Section 12 of
                  the Exchange Act and any amendments or reports filed for the
                  purpose of updating such description.

        In addition, all documents subsequently filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and
15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment
hereto which indicates that all securities offered hereunder have been sold or
that deregisters all securities then remaining unsold shall be deemed to be
incorporated by reference in this registration statement and to be a part hereof
from the date of filing of such documents.


Item 4.        Description of Securities.

        Not Applicable.


Item 5.        Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

        The legality of the shares of Common Stock registered by the Company
hereby will be passed upon for the Company by Goodwin, Procter & Hoar LLP,
Boston, Massachusetts. The president of a professional corporation which is a
partner in the firm of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar LLP beneficially owns an
aggregate of approximately 40,664 shares of Common Stock and warrants to
purchase up to 5,278 shares of Common Stock. The president of another
professional corporation which is a partner in Goodwin, Procter & Hoar LLP
beneficially owns 1,000 shares of Common Stock.


Item 6.        Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

        In accordance with Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the
State of Delaware, Article VII of the Company's Amended and Restated Certificate
of Incorporation, as amended (the "Certificate of Incorporation"), provides that
no director of the Company shall be personally liable to the Company or its
stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director,
except for liability (i) for any breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the
Company or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or
which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) in
respect of certain unlawful dividend payments or stock redemptions or
repurchases, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an
improper personal benefit. In addition, the Certificate of Incorporation
provides that if the Delaware General Corporation Law is amended to authorize
the further elimination or limitation of the liability of directors, then the
liability of a director of the Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the
fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, as so amended.

        Article V of the Company's Amended and Restated By-laws provides for
indemnification by the Company of its officers and certain non-officer employees
under certain circumstances against expenses (including attorney's fees,
judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred in
connection with the defense or settlement of any threatened, pending or
completed legal proceeding in which any such person is involved by reason of the
fact that such person is or was an officer or employee of the Company, if such
person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be
in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to
criminal actions or proceedings, if such person had no reasonable cause to
believe his or her conduct was unlawful.
<PAGE>   3
        The Company carries directors' and officers' liability insurance
covering its directors and officers.

Item 7.        Exemption from Registration Claimed.

        Not applicable.


Item 8.        Exhibits.

        The following is a complete list of exhibits filed or incorporated by
reference as part of this registration statement.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
      Exhibits
      --------

<S>               <C>
         *4.1     Selfcare, Inc. Amended and Restated 1996 Stock Option and
                  Grant Plan

         4.2      Amendment No. 1 to Selfcare, Inc. Amended and Restated 1996
                  Stock Option and Grant Plan

         5.1      Opinion of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar LLP as to the legality of
                  the securities being registered

         23.1     Consent of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar LLP (included in Exhibit
                  5.1)

         23.2     Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP, Independent Accountants

         24.1     Powers of Attorney (included on the signature page of this
                  registration statement)

         *        Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Selfcare, Inc.'s
                  registration statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-15583) as
                  filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November
                  5, 1996.
</TABLE>


Item 9.        Undertakings.

        (a)           The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

                      (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales
               are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration
               statement:

                             (i) To include any prospectus required by Section
                      10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
                      "Securities Act");

                             (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or
                      events arising after the effective date of the
                      registration statement (or the most recent post-effective
                      amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
                      aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the
                      information set forth in the registration statement; and

                             (iii) To include any material information with
                      respect to the plan of distribution not previously
                      disclosed in the registration statement or any material
                      change to such information in the registration statement;

                      (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability
               under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment
               shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to
               the securities offered therein, and the offering of such
               securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
               fide offering thereof; and

                      (3) To remove from registration by means of a
               post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered
               which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

        (b)           The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for
               purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act,
               each filing of the registrant's annual report pursuant to Section
               13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each
               filing of an employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to
               Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by
               reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a
               new registration statement relating to the securities offered
               therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall
               be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.


                                        2
<PAGE>   4
         (c)             Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising
                  under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors,
                  officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to
                  the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has
                  been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and
                  Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public
                  policy as expressed in the Securities Act, and is, therefore,
                  unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification
                  against such liabilities (other than the payment by the
                  registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer
                  or controlling person of the registrant in the successful
                  defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
                  director, officer or controlling person in connection with the
                  securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in
                  the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by
                  controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
                  jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it
                  is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act
                  and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.



                                        3
<PAGE>   5
                                   SIGNATURES

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets
all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this
registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto
duly authorized, in the City of Waltham, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on
February 2, 1998.

                                    SELFCARE, INC.

                                    By: /s/ Ron Zwanziger
                                        ----------------------------------------
                                         Ron Zwanziger
                                         President and Chief Executive Officer

                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

        KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each of the undersigned officers
and directors of Selfcare, Inc. hereby severally constitutes Ron Zwanziger,
Anthony H. Hall and Kenneth D. Legg, and each of them singly, his true and
lawful attorneys with full power to them, and each of them singly, to sign for
the undersigned and in his name in the capacity indicated below, the
registration statement filed herewith and any and all amendments to said
registration statement, and generally to do all such things in his name and in
his capacity as officer or director to enable Selfcare, Inc. to comply with the
provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all requirements of
the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming his
signature as it may be signed by his said attorneys, or any of them, to said
registration statement and any and all amendments thereto.

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons in
the capacities and on the date indicated.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
              SIGNATURE                                   CAPACITY                                     DATE
              ---------                                   --------                                     ----

<S>                                         <C>                                                  <C>
/s/ Ron Zwanziger                           Director, President and                              February 2, 1998
------------------------------------        Chief Executive Officer
Ron Zwanziger                               (Principal Executive Officer)
                                                                         


/s/ Anthony H. Hall                         Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial         February 2, 1998
------------------------------------        Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)
Anthony H. Hall                                                                      


/s/ Jonathan J. Fleming                     Director                                             February 2, 1998
------------------------------------
Jonathan J. Fleming


/s/ Carol R. Goldberg                       Director                                             February 2, 1998
------------------------------------
Carol R. Goldberg


/s/ Edward B. Roberts                       Director                                             February 2, 1998
------------------------------------
Edward B. Roberts


/s/ Willard Lee Umphrey                     Director                                             February 2, 1998
------------------------------------
Willard Lee Umphrey


/s/ John F. Levy                            Director                                             February 2, 1998
------------------------------------
John F. Levy

/s/ Peter Townsend                          Director                                             February 2, 1998
------------------------------------
Peter Townsend
</TABLE>

                                       4
<PAGE>   6
                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Exhibit No.                            Description                                                       
-----------                            -----------                                                       
                                                                                                         
<S>                 <C>                                                                                  
     *4.1           Selfcare, Inc. Amended and Restated 1996 Stock Option and Grant Plan

      4.2           Amendment No. 1 to Selfcare, Inc. Amended and Restated 1996 Stock
                    Option and Grant Plan

      5.1           Opinion of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar  LLP as to the legality of the
                    securities being registered

     23.1           Consent of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar  LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)

     23.2           Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP, Independent Accountants

     24.1           Powers of Attorney (included on the signature page of this registration statement)
</TABLE>

----------------

*        Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Selfcare, Inc.'s
         registration statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-15583) as filed with
         the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 5, 1996.
                                                   
                                                   




                                        5
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{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "SELFCARE INC", "cik": "0000915901", "assigned-sic": "3826", "irs-number": "043164127", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-45523", "film-number": "98520337"}, "business-address": {"street1": "200 PROSPECT STREET", "city": "WALTHAM", "state": "MA", "zip": "02154-3457", "phone": "7816473900"}}
1
    As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 3, 1998

                                                 REGISTRATION STATEMENT NO. 333-

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
                            -------------------------

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                            -------------------------

                                 SELFCARE, INC.
             (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

        Delaware                                    04-3164127
(State of Incorporation)               (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

                               200 PROSPECT STREET
                          WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS 02154
                                 (617) 647-3900

   (Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of
Registrant's principal executive offices)

      SELFCARE, INC. AMENDED AND RESTATED 1996 STOCK OPTION AND GRANT PLAN

                            (Full Title of the Plan)

                      ------------------------------------

                                  RON ZWANZIGER
                      CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
                                 SELFCARE, INC.
                               200 PROSPECT STREET
                          WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS 02154
                                 (617) 647-3900

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code,
of agent for service)

                          ----------------------------

                                 With a copy to:
                              Stephen W. Carr, P.C.
                           GOODWIN, PROCTER & HOAR LLP
                                 Exchange Place
                                 53 State Street
                        Boston, Massachusetts 02109-2881
                                 (617) 570-1000

                          -----------------------------

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of Securities Being          Amount to be        Proposed Maximum Offering  Proposed Maximum Aggregate       Amount of
         Registered                Registered(1)             Price Per Share             Offering Price         Registration Fee
----------------------------  ------------------------  -------------------------  --------------------------  -------------------
Common Stock, par value $.001      500,000 shares               $9.25(2)                  $4,625,000(2)               $1,365
per share
============================  ========================  =========================  ==========================  ===================
(1)      Plus such additional number of shares as may be required pursuant to
         the Selfcare, Inc. Amended and Restated 1996 Stock Option and Grant
         Plan, as amended, in the event of a stock dividend, reverse stock
         split, split-up, recapitalization or other similar event.

(2)      This estimate is based on the average of the high and low sales prices
         on the American Stock Exchange of the Common Stock of Selfcare, Inc. on
         January 30, 1998 pursuant to Rules 457(c) and (h) under the Securities
         Act of 1933, as amended, solely for purposes of determining the
         registration fee.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
2
                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.        Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.

         Selfcare, Inc. (the "Company") hereby incorporates by reference the
documents listed in (a) through (c) below, which have previously been filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission.

         (a)      The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB/A for the fiscal
                  year ended December 31, 1996;

         (b)      All other reports filed since the end of the Company's 1996
                  fiscal year pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the
                  Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange
                  Act"); and

         (c)      The description of the Company's common stock, par value $.001
                  per share (the "Common Stock"), contained in its Registration
                  Statement on Form 8-A, filed with the Securities and Exchange
                  Commission on June 14, 1996, as amended, under Section 12 of
                  the Exchange Act and any amendments or reports filed for the
                  purpose of updating such description.

        In addition, all documents subsequently filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and
15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment
hereto which indicates that all securities offered hereunder have been sold or
that deregisters all securities then remaining unsold shall be deemed to be
incorporated by reference in this registration statement and to be a part hereof
from the date of filing of such documents.

Item 4.        Description of Securities.

        Not Applicable.

Item 5.        Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

        The legality of the shares of Common Stock registered by the Company
hereby will be passed upon for the Company by Goodwin, Procter & Hoar LLP,
Boston, Massachusetts. The president of a professional corporation which is a
partner in the firm of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar LLP beneficially owns an
aggregate of approximately 40,664 shares of Common Stock and warrants to
purchase up to 5,278 shares of Common Stock. The president of another
professional corporation which is a partner in Goodwin, Procter & Hoar LLP
beneficially owns 1,000 shares of Common Stock.

Item 6.        Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

        In accordance with Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the
State of Delaware, Article VII of the Company's Amended and Restated Certificate
of Incorporation, as amended (the "Certificate of Incorporation"), provides that
no director of the Company shall be personally liable to the Company or its
stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director,
except for liability (i) for any breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the
Company or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or
which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) in
respect of certain unlawful dividend payments or stock redemptions or
repurchases, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an
improper personal benefit. In addition, the Certificate of Incorporation
provides that if the Delaware General Corporation Law is amended to authorize
the further elimination or limitation of the liability of directors, then the
liability of a director of the Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the
fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, as so amended.

        Article V of the Company's Amended and Restated By-laws provides for
indemnification by the Company of its officers and certain non-officer employees
under certain circumstances against expenses (including attorney's fees,
judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred in
connection with the defense or settlement of any threatened, pending or
completed legal proceeding in which any such person is involved by reason of the
fact that such person is or was an officer or employee of the Company, if such
person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be
in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to
criminal actions or proceedings, if such person had no reasonable cause to
believe his or her conduct was unlawful.
3
        The Company carries directors' and officers' liability insurance
covering its directors and officers.

Item 7.        Exemption from Registration Claimed.

        Not applicable.

Item 8.        Exhibits.

        The following is a complete list of exhibits filed or incorporated by
reference as part of this registration statement.
Exhibits
      --------
*4.1     Selfcare, Inc. Amended and Restated 1996 Stock Option and
                  Grant Plan

         4.2      Amendment No. 1 to Selfcare, Inc. Amended and Restated 1996
                  Stock Option and Grant Plan

         5.1      Opinion of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar LLP as to the legality of
                  the securities being registered

         23.1     Consent of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar LLP (included in Exhibit
                  5.1)

         23.2     Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP, Independent Accountants

         24.1     Powers of Attorney (included on the signature page of this
                  registration statement)

         *        Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Selfcare, Inc.'s
                  registration statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-15583) as
                  filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November
                  5, 1996.
Item 9.        Undertakings.

        (a)           The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

                      (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales
               are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration
               statement:

                             (i) To include any prospectus required by Section
                      10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
                      "Securities Act");

                             (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or
                      events arising after the effective date of the
                      registration statement (or the most recent post-effective
                      amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
                      aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the
                      information set forth in the registration statement; and

                             (iii) To include any material information with
                      respect to the plan of distribution not previously
                      disclosed in the registration statement or any material
                      change to such information in the registration statement;

                      (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability
               under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment
               shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to
               the securities offered therein, and the offering of such
               securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
               fide offering thereof; and

                      (3) To remove from registration by means of a
               post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered
               which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

        (b)           The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for
               purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act,
               each filing of the registrant's annual report pursuant to Section
               13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each
               filing of an employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to
               Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by
               reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a
               new registration statement relating to the securities offered
               therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall
               be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

                                        2
4
         (c)             Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising
                  under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors,
                  officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to
                  the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has
                  been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and
                  Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public
                  policy as expressed in the Securities Act, and is, therefore,
                  unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification
                  against such liabilities (other than the payment by the
                  registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer
                  or controlling person of the registrant in the successful
                  defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
                  director, officer or controlling person in connection with the
                  securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in
                  the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by
                  controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
                  jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it
                  is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act
                  and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

                                        3
5
                                   SIGNATURES

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets
all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this
registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto
duly authorized, in the City of Waltham, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on
February 2, 1998.

                                    SELFCARE, INC.

                                    By: /s/ Ron Zwanziger
                                        ----------------------------------------
                                         Ron Zwanziger
                                         President and Chief Executive Officer

                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

        KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each of the undersigned officers
and directors of Selfcare, Inc. hereby severally constitutes Ron Zwanziger,
Anthony H. Hall and Kenneth D. Legg, and each of them singly, his true and
lawful attorneys with full power to them, and each of them singly, to sign for
the undersigned and in his name in the capacity indicated below, the
registration statement filed herewith and any and all amendments to said
registration statement, and generally to do all such things in his name and in
his capacity as officer or director to enable Selfcare, Inc. to comply with the
provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all requirements of
the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming his
signature as it may be signed by his said attorneys, or any of them, to said
registration statement and any and all amendments thereto.

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons in
the capacities and on the date indicated.
SIGNATURE                                   CAPACITY                                     DATE
              ---------                                   --------                                     ----
/s/ Ron Zwanziger                           Director, President and                              February 2, 1998
------------------------------------        Chief Executive Officer
Ron Zwanziger                               (Principal Executive Officer)
                                                                         

/s/ Anthony H. Hall                         Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial         February 2, 1998
------------------------------------        Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)
Anthony H. Hall                                                                      

/s/ Jonathan J. Fleming                     Director                                             February 2, 1998
------------------------------------
Jonathan J. Fleming

/s/ Carol R. Goldberg                       Director                                             February 2, 1998
------------------------------------
Carol R. Goldberg

/s/ Edward B. Roberts                       Director                                             February 2, 1998
------------------------------------
Edward B. Roberts

/s/ Willard Lee Umphrey                     Director                                             February 2, 1998
------------------------------------
Willard Lee Umphrey

/s/ John F. Levy                            Director                                             February 2, 1998
------------------------------------
John F. Levy

/s/ Peter Townsend                          Director                                             February 2, 1998
------------------------------------
Peter Townsend
4
6
                                  EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit No.                            Description                                                       
-----------                            -----------
*4.1           Selfcare, Inc. Amended and Restated 1996 Stock Option and Grant Plan

      4.2           Amendment No. 1 to Selfcare, Inc. Amended and Restated 1996 Stock
                    Option and Grant Plan

      5.1           Opinion of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar  LLP as to the legality of the
                    securities being registered

     23.1           Consent of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar  LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)

     23.2           Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP, Independent Accountants

     24.1           Powers of Attorney (included on the signature page of this registration statement)
----------------

*        Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Selfcare, Inc.'s
         registration statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-15583) as filed with
         the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 5, 1996.
                                                   
                                                   

                                        5