Review
"This is the book to have, at minimum a seminal work of broad interest and deep appeal. Only time will tell if it is also paradigmatic, but it is a good candidate. Murphy has been concerned with definitions of normal and how to deal with clinical paradox for 30 years; he is that rarity in American medicine, a physician with genuine philosophic insight, an Edmund Pellegrino beyond the restraint of scholastic tradition... The many examples provided show the wisdom of starting with facts of disease or clinical state, rather than attempting to impose ethical constraints from specific schools of thought or points of view. Among the strengths of this book are the sections on definition of disease and the distinctions between clinical experience and statistical treatments... Equally important is the detailed glossary, which provides sound advice for physicians on how to talk and write about what they presume to know. Excellent! Highly recommended. General readers; undergraduates through professionals." -- D.R. Shanklin, University of Chicago, Blackwell 's Choice
"[This book] contains a wealth of facts... the authors are scholars with an encyclopedic breadth of knowledge... anyone who reads [this]text will undoubtedly be introduced to new information." -- Journal of the American Medical Association
Book Description
The scope and methodology of medical ethics, and its scientific and philosophical basis.
