Ethics, Medicine and History

Content

The module’s seminars will cover central ethical issues in medicine and biomedical science, past and present. Seminars 1 and 2 will examine foundational texts of medical ethics such as the Hippocratic Oath, John Gregory’s Lectures on the Duties and Qualifications of a Physician, Thomas Percival’s Medical Ethics and the Code of Ethics of the American Medical 20 Association, and the present ethical guidance provided by the British Medical Association. Seminar 3 and 4 will critically discuss two issues in medical science that have given, and continued to give, cause for wide-spread ethical concern: animal experimentation and human experimentation. Seminars 5 and 6 will analyse the significance and limits of two aspects that have become central to a modern, ethical doctor-patient relationship: informed consent and confidentiality. Seminar 7 will examine the ethical problems involved in current stem cell research and the ethical implications of cloning technologies. In consultation with the Module Leader, students will choose a topic for their assessed Essay in the area of medical ethics, bioethics, or medical history.