Book Description

This collection provides an in depth look at the real cases defining the field of medical ethics. A popular text among teachers and students alike, the book contains much more detail than most other casebooks, enriching each famous (or infamous) case with important background, history and context. In addition, it illuminates each case with a discussion of the pertinent philosophical theories and ethical issues behind it. The second edition has been substantially changed and updated, with three completely new chapters and significant revision to all of the other chapters. CLASSIC CASES IN MEDICAL ETHICS is a natural complement to Pence's CLASSIC WORKS IN MEDICAL ETHICS. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A fine job of writing for a difficult topic!
I am researching bioethics and especially eugenics in the United States as far as it concerns the Deaf and Hard-of-hearing. Because I work in the university bookstore, I went to see what the classes which teach bioethics are using for textbooks. Dr. Pence's books were being used, and as I looked through them, I could see he dealt with many of the topics I am concerned with...allocations of scarce resources, infant non-treatment on the basis of disability, and the worth that our society puts on the life of someone with a disability. (Nice story about a Deaf-mute who wasn't informed he was going to be the experiment for piggybacking a chimp heart).

Dr. Pence is an excellent writer. This book was an easy and interesting read. It told details concerning prominent cases that I didn't know, and he gives the references to everything, so that makes my research much easier.

Again, this is one of those books that is a must-read for medical students, anyone in public health, educators, and the disabled. Knowledge is power. We can only protect ourselves in the medical community when we know about the conflicts of interests that doctors and researchers face, and how ethicists and politicians perceive not only the disabled, but everyone. In this new world where the Human Genome Project is almost finished, and doctors are already clamoring for testing of all newborns (and fetuses), and there are no protective laws on the books against discrimination...it is very apparent we may possibly have another eugenic movement on our hands. It is up to all of us as informed readers to read someone like Pence and get involved with legislation to stop this from occurring again. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

Best way to start reading about medical ethics
I'm no medical ethicist, but this is the best book to start on. Its got lots of stories, cases in great detail, and most important, updates of cases 10 years old. Be sure you don't get stuck bying one of the old, out/of/date editions. I learned lots about Barney Clar, Karen Quinlan, and Louise Bronw. Pence is a little outta control on cloning,but the chapter on the Tuskegee Syphilis study is a classic studied by researchers at NIH.

Excellent text...
I used this text first as a student in a Bioethics course, and later as a Teaching Assistant for the same course. The book is interesting, well-written and very comprehensive in its approach to medical ethics. Though some of the material is becoming outdated (ie: Pence asserts in the book that there isn't a need to include a discussion of cloning, as it is impossible/improbable,) the text is still extremely useful. I highly recommend this book, both for enjoyment reading and for academic purposes.

Best way to begin studying bioethics
We used this book in my medical school class and I enjoyed it very much. Pence came to Illinois this year to debate human cloning and I was impressed with him. I especially liked this book because you get all the details and context of the cases (we also used another book on principles and theories, which was pretty boring). If you only read two chapters, read the one on Karen Quinlan and the one on the Tuskegee syphilis study. Both blew my mind. ... Read more

Book Description

In Natural Ethical Facts William Casebeer argues that we can articulate a fully naturalized ethical theory using concepts from evolutionary biology and cognitive science, and that we can study moral cognition just as we study other forms of cognition. His goal is to show that we have "softly fixed" human natures, that these natures are evolved, and that our lives go well or badly depending on how we satisfy the functional demands of these natures. Natural Ethical Facts is a comprehensive examination of what a plausible moral science would look like.

Casebeer begins by discussing the nature of ethics and the possible relationship between science and ethics. He then addresses David Hume's naturalistic fallacy and G. E. Moore's open-question argument, drawing on the work of John Dewey and W. V. O. Quine. He then proposes a functional account of ethics, offering corresponding biological and moral descriptions. Discussing in detail the neural correlates of moral cognition, he argues that neural networks can be used to model ethical function. He then discusses the impact his views of moral epistemology and ontology will have on traditional ethical theory and moral education, concluding that there is room for other moral theories as long as they take into consideration the functional aspect of ethics; the pragmatic neo-Aristotelian virtue theory he proposes thus serves as a moral "big tent." Finally, he addresses objections to ethical naturalism that may arise, and calls for a reconciliation of the sciences and the humanities. "Living well," Casebeer writes, "depends upon reweaving our ethical theories into the warp and woof of our scientific heritage, attending to the myriad consequences such a project will have for the way we live our lives and the manner in which we structure our collective moral institutions." ... Read more

Book Description

Through a combination of the illuminating overviews composed by the editor and readings drawn from important traditional and contemporary sources, MacKinnon's ETHICS provides students with an introduction to both ethical theory and the moral debates surrounding a variety of contemporary issues. Edited with the intention of providing reader friendly, but not superficial, access to many complex concepts, ETHICS is a comprehensive and clear-sighted introduction to both the general and specific guises ethical deliberation is obliged to take. ... Read more

Book Description

Peter Singer's remarkably clear and comprehensive Practical Ethics has become a classic introduction to applied ethics since its publication in 1979 and has been translated into many languages.For this second edition the author has revised all the existing chapters, added two new ones, and updated the bibliography.He has also added an appendix describing some of the deep misunderstanding of and consequent violent reaction to the book in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland where the book has tested the limits of freedom of speech.The focus of the book is the application of ethics to difficult and controversial social questions. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Missing the point
A lot of people miss the point of this book and think that Singer wants to kill mentally defective infants... That's not his point at all. Rather, he is providing a sound argument that shows why it is more morally wrong to kill an intelligent non-human (like a chimpanzee for example), than to kill a mentally defective infant. If anything, Singer wants more rights for animals, not less rights for humans. This book is worth the read because it really makes you think about what makes you a human and what makes you a person. All of Singer's arguments are valid and they have the potential to make you reconsider some of your own deep-seated beliefs.

Transcending tradition: the ultimate challenge
Singer's "Practical Ethics" is a masterpiece of ethical reasoning. While many other philosophers clothe their arguments in the jargon of their discipline, Singer's arguments are methodical, rigorous, and easily comprehensible. The result is a book that is an enjoyable read for a lay person; a book that leads us down a path that few of us have travelled so carefully. This rigorous philosophy leads us--through Singer--to challenge the conclusions of countless famous ethicists throughout history. Furthermore, it challenges us to question our innate responses, those emotions ingrained in us by biology or society. If there is any lesson to be learned from "Practical Ethics" it's that it takes *courage* to reason ethically, and to recognise the moral transgressions that we have all committed in ignorance. . . . Although I don't agree with every conclusion of Singer's, his impeccable composition and clear logical process allow me to pinpoint the cause of our few differences. Despite any disagreement, this book is well worth reading for the ethical journey through which it guides you.

Rebuttal of Jack by Don of Tallahassee
Jack states that it is Prof. Peter Singer's view that: "intelligence is no basis for determining ethical stature, that, for instance, the lives of humans are not worth more than the lives of animals simply because they are more intelligence (sic)..."

Not true. Instead Singer evaluates the value of a life based on the being's (including non-human sentient animals) own desire about continuing to live, its rationality and self-awareness over time and between places, and interestingly on its ability to plan and have desires for the future.

As such, Singer wites in the Chapter "What's Wrong With Killing?" that: "For preference utilitarians, taking the life of a person will normally be worse than taking the life of some other being, since people are highly future-orientated in their preferences."

Singer is controversial even when interpreted correctly, but he is exceptionally consistant, and I've found that - over 25 years from when I was at Monash Uni - in each case where I've initially disagreed with his analysis, eventually I've discovered that it was my own reasoning that was flawed.

A final point: one of Singer's basic beliefs is that we are not only responsible for what we do, but for what we could have prevented from happening, e.g. thousands of children suffering and dying weekly in developing nations due to inexpensively preventable causes.

Is it that that position is more difficult to take cheap shots at, so it is not much discussed by Singer critics? Or is it that these critics do not want to be distracted by some nagging moral responsibility as they shop for the latest in designer clothes, or a bigger SUV?

Tikkun olam

Don A.

Utilitarianism - A Pathological Exhibit
The first thing I recommend is that before reading "Practical Ethics", make sure you're acquainted with the principles of critical reading as discussed by Mortimer Adler in his brilliant "How To Read A Book".

Then turn for example to pages 12 and 13 of "Practical Ethics" and apply the principles of logic as discussed by Adler. Singer claims that the universal aspect of ethics (namely, that we make judgements from a universal, not a self-oriented, point of view) provides a persuasive reason for taking a utilitarian position. OK. Get ready to be strictly logical, and read his argument. Do you agree he has made the case?

Here is how it runs ( I summarise ):
1. Suppose the universal position is true.
2. It follows that my own interests as such cannot count for more than the interests of others.
3. Thus I must consider how to maximise the interests of all, equally considered.(2nd sentence, Para 2., p.13.)
4. Thus the universal principle inclines towards a utilitarian position.

My question: Neither 1 nor 2 implies 3. Nor do 1 and 2 in combination imply 3. At most 1 and 2 imply that IF "interests ought to be maximised" (the utilitarian doctrine or at least one variation thereof) is true, one must equally consider the interests of all. But Singer neglects to prove that "interests ought to be maximised" here. And nowhere else in his book does he establish it! Therefore Singer's "proof" is guilty of a common logical fallacy: it assumes (via 3) what has to be proved (4)

Since his entire argument is based on the utilitarian principle, and he fails to derive this successfully, his project is incomplete at the most critical point - its foundation. I know this sounds incredible, considering the esteem in which Singer is held. (Just read the reviews on the back cover.) But how can people blithely pass over such a sloppy piece of reasoning?

There are dozens of other examples of poor thinking in this book. Here's one more that needs discussion. If it's OK to kill babies and the pre-conscious in general because they're just that - not conscious, interest-generating beings - why is it not OK to kill people who are asleep or in comas? Singer replies (pp98,99) that older people asleep or unconscious have once had interests and desires, that and these continue to exist through sleep or inconsciousness. Well, they do and they don't. My ability to drive a car continues to exist while I'm asleep in this sense: if I wake up, I can drive a car. Sleep doesn't extinguish forever my ability to drive a car when I'm awake. But while I'm asleep I can't drive a car. The same rule applies to our having of interests or desires: namely, sleep doesn't extinguish our ability to revive acquired interests when we are awake, but while asleep we are no more "here and now interest or desire - having beings" than we are "beings who here and now can drive a car". The "having of interests" while asleep is not the same thing as the "having of interests" while awake and it is simply disingenuous to imply otherwise. And this point is crucial: Since while asleep I don't "have interests" in the relevant sense - I can't be satisfied by meeting desires or fulfill interests while asleep - it follows I'm in the same position in this respect as an unborn or young baby. Like me, the baby will at some future point acquire interests - only for her it will be for the first time. So why should my dormant interests count, but not the baby's latent interests?

Singer tries to get out of this by observing that even when awake sometimes we are not conscious of some desires until we advert to them.(See pp. 98,99.) Nevertheless, he says, those desires "remain a part of us". True, but irrelevant. Remember: the whole point of utilitarianism is to maximise interests. But interests can only be "met" while they are consciously held.[How grateful would we be if someone were to show us that long desired video while we were asleep?] How then, can interests - which because they are not consciously held are not able to be maximised - count in the consequentialist's calculus?

Singer might reply "Well, you could make these interests count as maximizable by for example reminding this person of her interests or by waking that person up". Sure you could. But are you obliged to? If not, then so what? If so, why? This could only imply that the goal of utilitarians not only to maximize extant (maximizable) interests, but to increase where possible the number of maximizable interests. But if so, are we not obliged not only to awaken dormant interests but also to allow this newborn baby to live so that it can eventually generate a heap of maximizable interests? We thus return to the original question: if babies, why not the sleeping?

The most frightening thing about Singer's book and doctrine is its uncritical reception by otherwise intelligent people. Sure, the man writes smoothly and comes across in print and on air as a genial chap. And for all I know, he may be sincere. Put that aside. These are life or death matters he is pronouncing upon. For heaven's sake, engage your critical faculties. I'm sure it won't take much of a work out before you agree with me that in this nice man's "ethic", mankind has edged one step closer to the abyss.

If you're still having trouble spotting the errors in Singer's book, get a hold of "Moral Theory" and other works by David S. Oderberg.

A book Useful for Human Rights Academicians also!
Peter Singer's work "Practical Ethics" is very useful for those interested in Civil Rights or Human Rights. Chapters on 'Equality', 'Whats wrong with killing?', 'Environment' and 'Why act morally' should not be missed by anyone. ... Read more

Book Description

Cloning researchers claim to have cloned an embryo that is mostly human, but also part animal. Biotech companies brag about manufacturing human embryos as "products" for use in medical treatments. Echoing long discredited master-race thinking, James Watson, who won a Nobel Prize for co-discovering the DNA double helix, claims that genetically enhanced people will someday "dominate the world."

Events are moving so fast--and biotechnology seems so complicated--that many of us worry that we can't have an informed opinion about these issues that are remaking the human future before our very eyes. But now Wesley J. Smith provides us with a guide to the brave new world that is no longer a figment of our imagination but right around the corner of our lives.

Smith starts with the basic questions. What are stem cells? What is the difference between embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells and which is most promising for medical therapy? What does embryonic stem cell research involve and why is it so controversial? What is its relationship to human cloning?

But in addition to explaining the science of stem cells, this highly readable and carefully researched book reports on the gargantuan "Big Biotech" industry and its supporters in the universities and in the science and bioethics establishments. Smith shows how this lobby works and how the lure of huge riches, mixed with the ideology of "scientism," threatens to impose a "new eugenics" on society that would dismantle ethical norms and call into question the uniqueness and importance of all human life.

"A Consumer's Guide to Brave New World" presents a clear-eyed vision of two potential futures. In one we will use biotechnology as a powerful tool to treat disease and improve the quality of our lives. But in another, darker scenario, we will be steered onto the anti-human path Aldous Huxley and other prophetic writers first warned against fifty years ago when science fiction had not yet become science fact. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Highly Recommended
"...a welcome addition to the growing body of literature...highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the field...should be required reading for anyone conducting pharmacogenomic research and for all clinicians who use pharmacogenomics..." (Journal of Pharmacy Technology, Vol. 19, September/October 2003)

Solid Reference
"...an excellent summary of aspects of phamacogenomics...a solid reference for those working in the field and a unique textbook for those new to the subject area." (Clinical Chemistry, Vol. 49, No. 9)

Informative Book
"...chapters offer fascinating glimpses into fields that may not be familiar to geneticists, genomicists, or clinicians...they will be informative...and provide a reminder that many people outside this field are going to be paying a lot of attention as discoveries...are reported." (New England Journal of Medicine, July 24, 2003)

Clear and Informative
"...well written, clear, and informative...a restrained sense of excitement...permeates throughout...clearly...a solid contribution to the discourse." (Nature Biotechnology, May 1, 2003)

Valuable Guide
"This volume presents the ethical, legal and social issues as they interface with pharmacogenomics in a very readable and accessible manner...this is an incredibly valuable guide by thought-leaders in the field." --Edward R. B. McCabe, M.D., Ph.D., David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California ... Read more

Book Description

This book introduces readers to the basic principles and language of ethics in health care. It provides a background in value development and ethical theories, including numerous real-life examples to stimulate discussion and thought. Many challenging exercises enable learners to explore the theoretical positions introduced in the book and practice their own decision making skills.New sections on: *Genetics *Organ donation *Transcultural aspects(values, real-life, decision-making, ethics, Allied Health, Healthcare, genetics, organ donation)ALSO AVAILABLE - INSTRUCTOR SUPPLEMENTS CALL CUSTOMER SUPPORT TO ORDER Instructor's ManualISBN: 0-7668-0519-0 ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A good text for allied health and nursing students.
This is an excellent introduction to health care ethics. Covers theory and principles and ethical decision-making in the first several chapters and the major issues in health care in the remaining chapters. The writers don't bog down in discussing these issues as do some current texts in bioethics. Very readable. Does not have cases so if one uses this for instruction a book with a collection of cases is needed (i.e. Cases Studies in Allied Health Ethics by Veatch and Flack). ... Read more

Book Description

"Every psychologist, clinician or academic, whose intention is to behave ethically, vastly increases the odds of success by reading and applying Dr. Celia Fisher’s cogent, thoughtful and practical guide to the Ethics Code." 

         --Dorothy W. Cantor, Psy.D., Past-President, American Psychological Association,
                                                                                                         Independent Practice

"The process of revising the code was a labor of love undertaken by Celia Fisher who was the wise and sensitive expert leader of a large working group dedicated to developing ethical standards, principles, aspirations and practical advice for protecting the rights and integrity of clients, patients and research participants. "Decoding the Ethics Code" is the perfect introduction for anyone interested in fully understanding and utilizing these ethical concerns….It is must reading for everyone concerned about navigating the paths between the rights of individuals and the needs of science, practice and society." 

          --Philip G. Zimbardo, Ph.D., Past-President, American Psychological Association,
                                                                                                          Stanford University  

"Decoding The Ethics Code: A Practical Guide for Psychologists is a valuable resource that I’ve placed next to my dictionary, APA publication manual, texts on statistics, and other references I reach for several times a week. Given the editorial cycle of the ethical code, the book will represent money well spent for at least the next 10 years." 

                                                                                            -ETHICS & BEHAVIOR

"Fisher has crafted an insider's guide to the complex document that delineates our ethical conduct in all domains of practice, research, and teaching. . . . Never before has it been so easy to find what you are looking for in the code. . . . The decoding operation goes well beyond a simple conversion from the 1992 to 2002 versions. Readers also get a thoughtful commentary on the thinking that guided the framers of the new version, and will also guide future interpreters of the code. It is a valuable tool, indeed."

                                                                       -CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOLOGY

Decoding the Ethics Code: A Practical Guide for Psychologists introduces psychologists, professionals with whom they work, and the public to the 2002 American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. The book helps psychologists apply the Ethics Code to the constantly changing scientific, professional, and legal realities of the discipline. Author Celia B. Fisher addresses the revised format, choice of wording, aspirational rationale, and enforceability of the code and puts these changes into practical perspective for psychologists.

The book provides in-depth discussions of the foundation and application of each ethical standard to the broad spectrum of scientific, teaching, and professional roles of psychologists. This unique guide helps psychologists effectively use ethical principles and standards to morally conduct their work activities, avoid ethical violations, and, most importantly, preserve and protect the fundamental rights and welfare of those whom they serve.

Decoding the Ethics Code features easy reference to a wide range of information, including

• Clear examples of behaviors that would comply with or violate enforceable standards
• A brief overview of the history behind the Ethics Code, enforcement of the code, professional liability issues, and the relationship between ethics and law
• Flagging of standards that represent significant new directions in ethics regulation and enforcement as compared with the previous code
• Integration throughout the text of the implications of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for compliance with numerous standards
• Easy identification of standards relevant to forensic practice, school psychology, industrial-organizational psychology, use of the Internet, prescription privileges, military and police psychology, and managed care

 
Decoding the Ethics Code will help new and established psychologists, psychology professors, students in graduate psychology programs, other mental health professionals, and the public understand and apply the new Ethics Code to their unique circumstances.  

About the Author

Celia B. Fisher, Ph.D., is director of the Fordham University Center for Ethics Education and Marie Doty University Chair in Psychology. Under her direction as Chair of the APA’s Ethics Code Task Force, the committee undertook the arduous task of revising the code, reviewing more than 1,300 comments and several legal reviews over a five-year period. Fisher is serving on the Department of Human Health and Services Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections.

To read a sample chapter from Decoding the Ethics Code, click on “Additional Materials” in the left column under "About This Book" or simply click here.

Reviews (2)

Essential reading for psychotherapists
Decoding the Ethics Code is must reading for psychotherapists from all the mental health guilds. Celia Fisher was a member of the APA committee that drafted the 2002 revision of the Ethical Code, and there is nothing like going to the source. The book is readable and informative, and helps to make sense of the new HIPAA regulations No ethical practitioner can afford to be without this resource.

Ethics Made Easy!
This book is amazing! It helps the reader understand what is required of psychologists in simple but comprehensive terms. It also provides invaluable information about HIPAA laws that I found very helpful. ... Read more

Book Description

Human embryonic stem cells can divide indefinitely and have the potential to develop into many types of tissue. Research on these cells is essential to one of the most intriguing medical frontiers, regenerative medicine. It also raises a host of difficult ethical issues and has sparked great public interest and controversy.

This book offers a foundation for thinking about the many issues involved in human embryonic stem cell research. It considers questions about the nature of human life, the limits of intervention into human cells and tissues, and the meaning of our corporeal existence. The fact that stem cells may be derived from living embryos that are destroyed in the process or from aborted fetuses ties the discussion of stem cell research to the ongoing debates on abortion. In addition to these issues, the essays in the book touch on broader questions such as who should approve controversial research and what constitutes human dignity, respect, and justice. The book contains contributions from the Ethics Advisory Board of the Geron Coroporation; excerpts from expert testimony given before the National Bioethics Advisory Commission, which helped shape recent National Institutes of Health policy; and original analytical essays on the implications of this research. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

It's a start, but where's the debate?
Holland et al. created a good introduction to the public policy and science behind the current embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) debate, but while this book has "debate" in its title, there was little material disagreement between most of the contributors. A more robust, representative exchange of ideas would have made this book 5-star material.

The book is divided into several themes.The first three chapters are on the basic science and history of stem cell research, and the editors' choice of contributors is impeccable: they include James Thomson, who first isolated human embryonic stem cells, and Thomas Okarma, president and CEO of Geron Corp., which is the private firm that has spearheaded the development of Thomson's discoveries.

The second section segues from history to public policy and ethics, including analyses of the National Bioethics Advisory Committee's report on stem cells in 1999. This by and large was a good introduction to how the government, and specifically the Clinton administration, began to respond to stem cells. Erik Parens has a good article on how people tried to differentiate between the morality of experimenting on embryos from IVF clinics and embryos made specifically for research, and a few other dilemmas stemming from current human embryonic stem cell (hES) sources and protocols.

We then go into the third section, which contains religious perspectives on ESCR. This is where I found the term "debate" a misnomer, as for the exception of Gilbert Meilaender, a Protestant thelogian, all the religious commentators tried to show how their traditions could tolerate, if not actively approve of, ESCR. Now I know that many religious people approve of ESCR, but the deafening silence on the opposition's part (excepting Dr. Meilaender's rather short piece) concerns me. Ironically, in the following section, sociologists Paul Root Wolpe and Glenn McGee note that the majority of the ESCR dialogue has been within a community with an active interest in promoting ESCR. This seems to be just the case in this book.

The fourth chapter is a public policy section, with the aforementioned good essay by Wolpe and McGee on the nature of the ESCR debate. The essays treat issues like whether pressure will be exerted on women in fertility clinics to donate unused embryos to labs, whether the poor will get stem cell therapy, government oversight, and several other practical concerns that must be addressed if one promotes ESCR and any future applications it may bring. During the height of the ESCR debate, I didn't hear much of the minority or feminist viewpoint on ESCR, so the opinions of Suzanne Holland (who appears earlier in Section II), Margaret McLean, and Cynthia Cohen were particularly handy.

On the whole, this is a useful book, but I suggest that in addition to reading the thoughts in this volume, you should check out Richard Doerflinger, the research ethics group Do No Harm or some of the others who oppose embryonic research. If this book were to do justice to both sides, it would be a much better resource.

Must read on timely issue
Stem cells- the leading newspaper topic before the September 11 horrors and a topic to which we are of necessity returning. This book is an amazingly readable compilation of information on the science, the positions. the impact of the research (or failure to do the research),and the pros and cons of regulation. In a time when not only the government's but also the public's views on this issue are in a constant state of review, these editors have managed to pull together a collection that will not become a stale item, even though addressing a "hot" topic. The selections are ones that someone without medical or research scientist training can readily understand, yet not simplistic to the extent of ever bordering on boring. Truly a must read. ... Read more

Book Description

All investigators funded by the National Institutes of Health are now required to receive training about the ethics of clinical research. Based on a course taught by the editors at NIH, Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Clinical Research is the first book designed to help investigators meet this new requirement. The book begins with the history of human subjects research and guidelines instituted since World War II. It then covers various stages and components of the clinical trial process: designing the trial, recruiting participants, ensuring informed consent, studying special populations, and conducting international research. Concluding chapters address conflicts of interest, scientific misconduct, and challenges to the IRB system. The appendix provides sample informed consent forms.

This book will be used in undergraduate courses on research ethics and in schools of medicine and public health by students who are or will be carrying out clinical research. Professionals in need of such training and bioethicists also will be interested. ... Read more

Book Description

Allegations of fraud, conflict of interest, and other ethical dilemmas have troubled the scientific community lately. With increasing frequency, graduate programs in the biomedical sciences are offering formalized training in the principles of responsible scientific conduct. Until now, there has been no single true textbook that can be used to teach this important subject. This text was developed to cover broad areas of scientific integrity and to meet the needs of today's graduate students and scientists working in the biomedical sciences.Case studies that parallel the material presented in the chapters are included to illustrate the diversity of issues that have been identified under the umbrella of scientific integrity. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Scientific Integrity MentoringScientific Record-KeepingAuthorship and Peer Review Use of Animals in Biomedical Experimentation Use of Humans in Biomedical ExperimentationConflict of InterestOwnership of Data and Intellectual PropertyGenetic Technology and Scientific Integrity ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Should be read by everyone involved in biological research
It is a very important book. Should be read by everyone involved with biological research;it would be useful to have a spanish version. ... Read more

Book Description

Approximately 850f hospitals now have ethics committees. But this statistic says little about the efficiency and importance of these committees in their institutions. Frequently, ethics committees exist more in name than in practice, and are left without the guidance and help of their institution.

Health Care Ethics Committees provides a plethora of advice, including possible projects and activities, suggestions for making meetings more effective, insights into policy-making, and models for mission statements and goals. In addition, this book gives leaders a panoramic view of the past, present, and future of ethics committees in health care. ... Read more

Book Description

Up-to-date and challenging, this best-selling text is a practical manual that helps future and current professionals deal with ethical issues that they will confront at the various stages in their development. The authors provide readers with the basis for discovering their own guidelines within the broad limits of professional codes of ethics and divergent theoretical positions. They raise what they consider to be central issues, present a range of diverse views on these issues, discuss their position, and provide readers with many opportunities to refine their own thinking and to actively develop their own position. The authors explore such questions as: What role do the therapist's personal values play in the counseling relationship? What ethical responsibilities and rights do clients and therapists have? What considerations are involved in adapting counseling practice to diverse client populations? ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Issues and Ethics: In helping professions
My order never was received, and I got a refund

The Best Ethics Text on the Market to Date
As a Counselor Educator and Counseling Psychologist, I feel that "Issues and Ethics In the Helping Professions" is one of the most nicely organized and well-written texts on counseling ethics ever written. I cannot think of another text I would choose over it to teach ethics to developing counselors. This text serves as an excellent source for the overview of ethical issues in counseling and related fields, as well as a guide to further reading. Corey, Corey, and Callanan expect readers to become involved in learning to deal with ethical and professional issues most directly influenced by the actual practice of counseling. The authors produce numerous useful examples for thought and discussion as well as well designed activities for the classroom setting. Even an instructor selects another text for her or his ethics course, the student should definitely consider purchasing this text as an ethics resource. This edition has also put more emphasis on the learning needs of School Counselors than past editions, although I hope to see it develop in this arena in the 6th edition.

Required or not, read this book!
This book was required in my graduate psychology ethics course, and I found it to be extremely helpful. Covers such topics as confidentiality, multiple relationships, diversity issues, and personal values as they relate to the counseling profession. Extremely helpful were the pre-chapter self-inventories for each topic, which give you a chance to think about what is written after them from your own frame of reference. This book dealt with issues that I had never even considered before, and I consider myself to be fairly well-educated in the subject of counseling psychology. I recommend it to anyone who is in a graduate program, to undergraduates who plan to enter the field, and to anyone currently practicing who was sent out to work with little or no formal ethics training. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (11)

Moreno unmasks the evil and human cost of government secrecy
We are fortunate Jonathan Moreno did dare and took the time to write "Undue Risk." Not only does he inform, he has the courage to take a stand. A person of the caliber of David Kevles of California Institute of Technology says in his New York Times Book Review ". . . the historical record that he presents in ''Undue Risk'' strongly supports his contention that the rights of human subjects deserve to be held paramount over any needs of national security." Anyone familiar with the work of the President's Committee on Human Radiation Experiments knows it was anything but a whitewash. While flawed it is the most thorough review of documents surrounding this sad, sad chapter of our nations recent history. The experiments were outrageous attacks against human rights. I am co-founder of the Human Experiments Litigation Project which successfully filed seven suits against the experimenters. I commend Moreno for his in depth research, excellent grasp of the entire range of experiments, his concern for the sanctity of human life and ability to tell this story with a clear demarcation between fact and opinion. The more people who read this book, the more our chance as a society of remembering just a bit longer the lessons of science gone amuck.

A Short Review of Secret Experiments
Calling chemical warfare "weapons of mass destruction" is misleading since they are more limited than atomic or biological weapons. Biological weapons can turn against their users. Only atomic weapons have enormous destructive capacity (p.xv). The Advisory Committee on Human Radiation documented secret experiments on humans from WW II to the present day. Biological warfare goes back to ancient times: placing decaying bodies into a water supply or launching them into a besieged fort. There is much more known about biological and chemical weapons today than before 1992. Government secrecy is corrosive to democracy, and is a true threat to our way of life. The use of human guinea pigs shows something rotten at the heart of society's political rulers. This very readable book faces the uncomfortable reality of using humans for medical experiments.

Bacteria and chemicals are hard to control and deliver effectively but relatively cheap to produce and transport. Testing on humans has a long international history, as is hiding these facts (p.4). The Nazi doctors trial at Nuremberg set a standard for military-medical human experiments. Hundreds of other doctors were never tried. A "crime against humanity" was defined as the reckless pursuit of scientific knowledge, or sheer sadism. Experiments on humans predated the Nazis; in 1931 the powerful chemical manufacturers were caught using patients in hospitals (p.64). Then there was America's own wartime research (pp. 65-6). But America was not riddled with a hate-mongering pathology that permitted the systematic injury of certain groups of humans (p.79).

Chapter 4 tells of Nazi scientists brought to America because of their expertise. They now used American soldiers rather than concentration camp victims (p.89)! Similar experiments were done by Japanese Unit 731 (pp.103-7). Their history was kept secret to protect Army biological weapon testing at Fort Detrick, whose budget was second to the Manhattan project (p.109). The US military wanted this information on crop destruction and human experiments. A Soviet war crimes trial documented these facts (p.111-4). Germ warfare charges in Korea and China are discussed on pages 115-6.

A Short History of Secret Experiments
This very readable book faces the uncomfortable reality of using humans for medical experiments. Government secrecy is corrosive to democracy, and is a true threat to our way of life. The use of human guinea pigs shows something rotten at the heart of society's political rulers.

Chapter 5 tells about radiation experiments. There was a need to study the health risks from inhalation or ingestion to determine the toxic levels. Releasing radioactive products into the air was part of deliberate policy that occurred hundreds of times (pp.153-4). Chapter 6 tells how the Nuremberg Code was adopted for testing ABC weapons (p.166). This rule prevailed in the civilian hierarchy but lacked traction in the military medical culture (p.184); this reflected the political struggles (p.187). Chapter 7 tells of the experiments with hallucinogens as a military secret weapon during WW II (pp.190-1), and afterwards. The Blauer Case tells how state hospitals' experiments killed patients (pp.194-8)! Scanty record keeping on atomic bomb explosions was continued with Agent Orange in Vietnam (p.206). The known dangers from uranium mines were disregarded by the AEC (p.221). Uranium miners fate was to die in their forties for reasons of national security (p.226). After Nuremberg, only America among Western countries experimented on prisoners (p.230).

Chapter 8 tells of the attacks on the Nuremberg Code rules. Pages 252-3 tell why it is legal to experiment on members of the Armed Forces: the Supreme Court said so! Nerve gas experiments were suspended in 1969 (p.263). President Nixon asked for the ratification of the 1925 Geneva Accord to prohibit the first use of biological and chemical weapons. The1977 Senate hearings on the biological testing program resulted in new ethics of research for government agencies (p.265). Chapter 9 tells of the 1991 Gulf War aftermath: many veterans reported illnesses. One explanation was the drug alleged to protect our soldiers caused this problem. PB was never tested or approved, so its use was reckless and a poor experiment (p.269). Pyridostigmine bromide was never approved against chemical weapons (p.270). The FDA created an exceptional "Rule 23(d)". Did PB react with organophosphates to create harm (p.272)? The lack of records prevents any investigation. The last section on '91 Bravo' reads like a very optimistic and cheerful ending to this story.

Chilling
I used to work at an ethical review board, and I read whatever books I could find on medical research ethics. This is the most memorable one I read. It was shocking but fascinating. I would recommend this book to anyone working in clinical research or medical ethics.

Chillingly accurate with ominous implications for the future
Undue Risk is a clearly and meticulously constructed documentation of over 50 years of medical and military experiments world wide, with an emphasis on those done in the U.S. It is one of the most important books written on the subject, and it is a must read for anyone concerned about the ethics and interests of government.
Moreno limits himself to information that is documentable. He focuses on the medical community as handmaidens to the military establishment. For example, his thorough and horrific accounts of Dr. Ishii's murderous medical experiments on thousands of helpless captives during WWII in Japan, and his grim comment that despite his criminality, Dr. Ishii today enjoys high social status and wealth, partially due to intervention by the United States, are a testimony to Moreno's clear insight into the pervasive nature of intellectual greed and the grand cover-up of government when it wishes to acquire knowledge.
It is unfortunate that Moreno could not cover the misdeeds of the neuro-sciences. But with the neuro/psychopharmacological arsenal of amnesiacs, sedatives, ECT, and hypnosis it is difficult to find those survivors who can clearly articulate the tale of what was done to them in the name of science. To his credit, Moreno does refer to the CIA's MKULTRA experiments, and gives a nice insight into the LSD death of Fort Detrick's Dr. Frank Olsen, who specialized in airborne delivery of disease as a biological weapon. This book is a must read. It is aurhoritative, restrained in nature, but completely accurate. ... Read more

Book Description

The second edition of Healthcare Law & Ethics will present practical, fundamental information that will help students learn to identify potential legal issues they may encounter throughout their careers.

What's new in this edition:

An expanded discussion of how students can use the law to promote policy goals, and the relationship between law & ethics
Deeper consideration of ethical issues as well as issues of quality, patient safety, and prevention of medical errors
Information on the use of government regulation to protect public health, including protecting against bio-terrorism
The federal HIPAA privacy rule and other important aspects of patient confidentiality ... Read more

Book Description

This anthology represents all of the most important points of view on the most pressing topics in bioethics. Containing current essays and actual medical and legal cases written by outstanding scholars from around the globe, this book provides readers with diverse range of standpoints, including those of medical researchers and practitioners, legal exerts, and philosophers. ... Read more

Book Description

This new resource explores contemporary ethical issues such as multiple relationships; violence; abuse and neglect; integrating ethics into business; and morality, spirituality, and sexuality. The importance of ethics cannot be overstated, and in this constantly changing world, therapists must continually re-examine these issues. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Bioethics, for genreal interest and further study.
The Blackwells Anthology on Bioethics provides a strong material based support for courses in Bioethics or applied Philopsophy. It's two best features are that it contains the articles that most Bioethics courses will require you to read (Response to Purdy, for example) and yet most of the articles are in easy to understand language and require little or no previous knowledge. Also, far from being the dry tomes one associates with philosophical essays, the articles are genuinely engaging.

There are a few articles where if you haven't read Kant or Mill before you might be stuck, but most are easy to read and some entries are written by lay people about their experiences, including one mans suicide note as an argument for euthanasia and a couples experiences of IVF.

The editorial really helps to highlight the issues in the book and it is arranged in an acessible format, so that one can skip areas that aren't of interest.

Useful to students or acaedemics (in Medicine or Philosophy) and fascinating for anyone who wants to look into this area. ... Read more