A doctor states: "I have an ethical duty never to cause the death of a patient", while another replies: "It is my ethical duty to relieve pain even if the patient dies". The current dispute over the role of doctors in helping patients to die constantly refers to the ethical duties of the profession. References to the Hippocratic Oath are often heard. Many contemporary issues, from assisted suicide to accessible healthcare, raise questions about the traditional ethics of medicine and the medical profession. However, few know what traditional ethics are and where they came from. This book provides a brief overview of the complex history of medical ethics as it has evolved over the centuries in both Western and Eastern cultures. It places this history in the social and cultural contexts in which healing has been practised, and suggests that, in addition to the many different views of doctors' ethical responsibilities, certain themes emerge continuously and may be relevant to contemporary debates. The book begins with the Hippocratic medicine of ancient Greece, moves through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Enlightenment in Europe, and the long history of Indian and Chinese medicine , concluding when issues that have arisen in modern medicine and technology challenge long-established ethics.
Review
"As Jonsen shows, despite the title of his book, the history of medical ethics is not short. In about one hundred and twenty pages, he tells the story of more than two thousand years of moral discourse about medicine, covering traditions in both the East and the East. Jonsen's journey through time and cultures highlights specific events and individuals and shows that, although there are some cultural differences, common themes unite in a long tradition of medical ethics. "- Philosophy in Review