Strangers At The Bedside: A History Of How Law And Bioethics Transformed Medical Decision Making [Paperback]

David J. Rothman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0465082106 | ISBN-13: 978-0465082100 | Publication Date: August 17, 1992

What caused physicians in the USA to confront committees, forms, and active patients? Tracing the revolution that transformed the doctor-patient relationship, this book takes the reader into the laboratory and the examining room, tracing the development of new technologies and social attitudes.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Rothman, a bioethicist at Columbia University, traces the dramatic and profound changes that have taken medical decision-making out of the hands of physicians in the past half-century. His historical analysis, which covers medical research and human experimentation in the United States with a focus on the post-World War II era, is interesting, well written, and highly informative. Also fascinating is his recounting of the early moves toward government and bureaucratic control of medical research. This is not a case-by-case study as many bioethics books are, but rather an informed interpretation of why there are so many ethics cases in contemporary medicine to consider. Solidly researched and well documented, this book is excellent for collections in the social and life sciences, and valuable for general collections with lit erate, informed patrons.
- Mark L. Shel ton, Athens, Ohio
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

David J. Rothman is Bernard Schoenberg Professor of Social Medicine, professor of history, and director of the Center for the Study of Science and Medicine at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University.  He is the author of numerous works, including The Willowbrook Wars, The Discovery of the Asylum, and The Pursuit of Perfection: The Promise and Perils of Medical Enhancement.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (August 17, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465082106
• ISBN-13: 978-0465082100
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #877,876 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I don't agree with everything...but well-written book!, August 13, 2001

By 

K. L Sadler "Dr. Karen L. Sadler" (Freedom, Pa. USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Strangers At The Bedside: A History Of How Law And Bioethics Transformed Medical Decision Making (Paperback)

What do you do with a book that in spite of disagree with the vantage point of the author, you have to admit that the points he raises and the stand he takes has some validity? That an author can cause the reader to stop and think about firmly held belief systems, is indicative of a good writer in my opinion.

The author of this bioethical treatise is not a physician. He is a sociologist, and he is giving the historical background to the immense changes in how the American public views its medical establishment. In the process of becoming involved in ethics in the medical world, Rothman had to come in close contact with those he was writing about...physicians. I get the feeling that he was and to a point still in awe of the great men and the great minds he has been exposed to. Occasionally, the book seemed to be biased in favor of the physicians. A book such as this cannot be written without showing the author's own biases; author's can only admit that they harbor particular biases towards those they are writing about.

In many issues Rothman comes down solidly on behalf of the physicians, whether or not they brought about the changes in the public's attitudes towards those who work in medicine. Rothman bemoans the fact that the public has involved lawyers, bioethicists, and politicians in what used to be the private domain of physicians. Yet he writes and explains the history behind this lowering of pedestals for doctors and medical researchers...all the while trying to explain why physicians felt their patients should rely 'on those who know and understand' (read that to mean physicians think most patients and families are too stupid to understand basic concepts).

This book actually gives a good and vitally important background into the movements for individual rights and the exposure of unethical experimentation and medical treatment which led to the creation of new standards for medical care and research, as well as the installment of Internal Research Boards (IRBs) which are suppose to act as brakes on over-ambitious and unethical practices. Unfortunately, it is all too clear in recent media reports that even IRBs in universities and hospitals are not enough to protect the American public from research by those not interested in protecting the patients and alleviating pain, but rather shows more concern for keeping the grant money coming, fame, and doing science merely for the sake of doing science ('because we can!) John Hopkins obviously hasn't changed its attitudes over 30 some odd years towards the rights of the individual, since they are continuing to attract attention and controversy because of unethical research.

This book is definitely a must-read for anyone interested in bioethics. Even if the reader does not agree with the author, the book provides a different, and somewhat valid reflection of the medical establishment's views towards the infringement of their previously existing rights in determining patient care and the moral standards of research. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required Read, October 21, 2010

By 

E. Grandusky "E. Grandusky" (WV USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Strangers At The Bedside: A History Of How Law And Bioethics Transformed Medical Decision Making (Paperback)

This text was a requirement for a college course, this is an excellent read packed with historical information interesting to anyone.

6 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book!, August 29, 2000

By 

"arlenediane" (Merlin, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strangers At The Bedside: A History Of How Law And Bioethics Transformed Medical Decision Making (Paperback)

This book makes a real contribution to the understanding of bioethics in the US, explaining how we got from the paternalistic consciousness in health care that allowed pre-WW II human experimentation on vulnerable subjects such as the one at Tuskegee, to the present day's ethics committees with its emphasis on patient autonomy. I would recommend it to anyone interested in bioethics.