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Ethics
Introduction
What is Ethics?
What is medical science?
Clinical ethics is a
practical discipline that
provides a structured approach
for identifying ,analyzing, and
resolving ethical issues in
clinical medicine.
Clinical medical ethics is a practical and
applied discipline that aims to improve
patient care and patient outcomes by
focusing on reaching a right and good
decision in individual cases.
It focuses on the doctor-patient
relationship and takes account of the
ethical and legal issues that patients,
doctors, and hospitals must address to
reach good decisions for individual
patients.
Clinical ethics emphasizes that in
practicing good clinical medicine,
physicians must combine scientific
and technical abilities with ethical
concerns for the personal values of
the patients who seek their help.
The content of clinical ethics
includes
specific issues such as truth-telling,
informed consent, end of life care,
palliative care, allocation of clinical
resources, and the ethics of medical
research.
the study of the doctor-patient
relationship, including such issues as
honesty, competence, integrity, and
respect for persons.
Section 3: The History of
Medical Ethics
A brief history of medical
ethics in China
The value system of medical ethics in China
has a long tradition that can be traced back to
ancient times.
As in ancient Greek medicine, the
professional values of ancient Chinese medicine
arose with the development of medical
professionalism itself. In ancient China,
profession meant ones duties.
Zhou Dynasty (from 1065-771 B.C.E.)
an independent medical profession and medical
system took shape , built around four aspects: dietetic,
internal, surgery, and veterinary.
Simiao Sun
For Confucians, morality is grounded in
human nature, which is expressed by
Confucius as ren or humaneness,
sometime simply as benevolence.
From this origin of morality, some more
concrete moral principles spurt out, such
as the principles of ren, yi, li and zhi, or
principles of benevolence, of justice, of
propriety , and of moral consciousness.
These are major guiding principles for our
common lives.
The leading principle is the moral
mind and our concern about the
sufferings of others.
one must understand Confucianism
before one really understand what
medicine is all about.
With the introduction of Western
medicine beginning in the nineteenth
century, Chinas medical system has
changed tremendously.
A new type of medical system has
emerged and a new perspective on
professional ethics has gained
peoples attention.
This change has also brought new
requirements for doctors, who now
are responsible not only for their
patients, but also for their
hospitals and the whole society.
Meanwhile, Western theories of
medical ethics and professional
standards of medicine were
introduced into China.
never being selfish but
always ready to help
others have become the
principal values of medical
ethics.
History of Medical Ethics
in the West
1Ancient Egypt: Ancient
Egyptian Medicine
The people of Ancient Egypt made
several major medical discoveries
and began treating diseases in a
physical manner alongside older
spiritual cures.
2Ancient Greek Medicine
Medical practice in Ancient Greece,
like Egypt, was based largely upon
religious beliefs.
The works of Hippocrates and his
followers led to several scientific
facts being recorded for the first time
Hippocrates theory of the Four
Humours was, for a long time, the
basis upon which to develop medical
reasoning.
Ancient Roman Medicine
Roman medicine was a mixture of new
theories and developments of Greek
practices. Medicine was improved through
the studies of Galen, through a desire to
maintain a fit and healthy army and
through empirical observation.
Medicine in Ancient Rome also brought
about some great developments of Public
Health facilities.
Oriental and Islamic Medicine
The Islamic Authorities placed a lot of
value in medicine.
Baghdad had a hospital by AD 850
and doctors had to pass medical
examinations by AD 931 in order to
practice.
Hospitals were later developed throughout
the Islamic world, with the most famous
being those in Damascus and Cairo.
Developments of Galen and Hippocrates
theories
Rhazes said that it was vitally important to
observe patients and make notes of all
minor details. He was the first man to
observe and record the differences
between smallpox and measles.
Avicenna wrote the Canon of medicine .
This developed some of Galens ideas and
was used with aspiring doctors in both
Arabia and later in the West.
Medicine in Medieval and
Early Modern Europe
Medicine during the Medieval period
changed in a number of ways, often
for the worse.
Medieval Europe was a place that
placed less importance on the value
of Public Health facilities
As the church taught that God sent
illness, and that repenting would
cure all evils, many people at the
time believed that pilgrimage would
cure them. Other theories were
based upon astrology, the movement
of the sun and stars.