The Birth of Bioethics

Jonson, Albert R.

ISBN 10: 0195103254 / ISBN 13: 9780195103250

Published by Oxford University Press, New York City, NY U.S.A., 1998

About this Item

gray binding, black lettering on spine, a detailed discussion of medical ethics from 1947 to1987 examining the origin and evoilution of the debates over human experimentation, genetic engineering, organ transplantation, termination of life and sustaining treatment and new protective technoloies. it assesses the contribution of philosophy, theology. law and the solcial sciencesin the expanding discourses in bioethics, xiv and 431 pages including an epilogue and the index.

Seller Inventory # 008309

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Birth of Bioethics
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, New York City, NY U.S.A.
• Publication Date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195103254
• ISBN 13: 9780195103250
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Collection

About this title

Synopsis

Bioethics represents a dramatic revision of the centuries-old professional ethics that governed the behavior of physicians and their relationships with patients. This venerable ethics code was challenged in the years after World War II by the remarkable advances in the biomedical sciences and medicine that raised questions about the definition of death, the use of life-support systems, organ transplantation, and reproductive interventions. In response, philosophers and theologians, lawyers and social scientists joined together with physicians and scientists to rethink and revise the old standards. Governments established commissions to recommend policies. Courts heard arguments and legislatures passed laws.
This book is the first broad history of the growing field of bioethics. Covering the period 1947-1987, it examines the origin and evolution of the debates over human experimentation, genetic engineering, organ transplantation, termination of life-sustaining treatment, and new reproductive technologies. It assesses the contributions of philosophy, theology, law and the social sciences to the expanding discourse of bioethics. Written by one of the field's founders, The Birth of Bioethics is based on extensive archival research into sources that are difficult to obtain and on interviews with many of the leading figures in the moral debates in medicine. A very readable and comprehensive account of the evolution of bioethics, this book stresses the history of ideas but does not neglect the social and cultural context and the people involved. It will serve the information needs of philosophers, ethicists, social historians, and everyone interested in the origins of some of today's most hotly debated issues.

About the Author

Albert R. Jonsen, Ph.D., is Chairman of the Department of Medical History and Ethics and Professor of Ethics in Medicine at the School of Medicine, University of Washington. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and has served on the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research and the President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine.