Medical Ethics

This book is intended as a practical introduction to the ethical questions which doctors and other health professionals can be expected to encounter in their practice.

Medical Ethics is a revision and major expansion of Practical Medical Ethics, which was first published in 1992.

The book has been completely revised and updated, and is divided into three parts dealing with ethical foundations, clinical ethics, and medicine and society.

It incorporates new chapters on topics such as theories of medical ethics, cultural aspects of medicine, genetic dilemmas, aging, dementia and mortality, research ethics, justice and health care (including an examination of resource allocation), and medicine, ethics and medical law.

Medical Ethics covers issues to do with the beginning and end of life, as well as ethical questions surrounding the human body and the use of human tissue, confidentiality and AIDS, care of the mentally ill, and the implications of genetic technology.

Each chapter presents a range of ethical views, drawing both from traditional philosophical responses and the most recent contemporary responses.Theoretical discussion is extended and illustrated by case studies and examples, which are suitable for both private study and for use in group discussions.

This book is a non-technical guide to ethics written with the needs of medical students and medical practitioners in mind.

It will also appeal to students and practitioners of allied health professions, and for all users of health care services.