D.--from the Introduction "Canadian Bulletin of Medical History"

Like many novel ideas, the idea for this volume and its predecessor arose over lunch in the cafeteria of the old Wellcome Institute. On an atternoon in Sept- ber 1988, Dorothy and Roy Porter, and I, sketched out a plan for a set of conf- ences in which scholars from a variety of disciplines would explore the emergence of modern medical ethics in the English-speaking world: from its pre-history in the quarrels that arose as gentlemanly codes of etiquette and honor broke down under the pressure of the eighteenth-century "sick trade," to the Enlightenment ethics of John Gregory and Thomas Percival, to the American appropriation process that culminated in the American Medical Association's 1847 Code of Ethics, and to the British turn to medical jurisprudence in the 1858 Medical Act. Roy Porter formally presented our idea as a plan for two back-to-back c- ferences to the Wellcome Trust, and I presented it to the editors of the PHI- LOSOPHY AND MEDICINE series, H. Tristram Engeihardt, Jr. and Stuart Spicker. The reception from both parties was enthusiastic and so, with the financial backing of the former and a commitment to publication from the latter, Roy Porter, ably assisted by Frieda Hauser and Steven Emberton, - ganized two conferences. The first was held at the Wellcome Institute in - cember 1989; the second was sponsored by the Wellcome, but was actually held in the National Hospital, in December 1990.

For more than 160 years, this book has been the authoritative ethics guide on medical professionalism. The Code speaks to the enduring values of medicine as a profession. As a statement of the values to which physicians commit themselves individually and collectively, the Code is the standard for medicine as a professional community. Addressing the professional challenges faced by physicians today, the Code of Medical Ethics presents guidance through more than 200 ethical opinions on topics ranging from physician obligation in disaster preparedness and response, to physician participation in interrogations, to genetic testing and counseling, to use of electronic mail and health-related online sites. In addition to containing the nine Principles of Medical Ethics, this resource incorporates new and updated opinions, such as quality and access to care, decision making for minor patients, breach of security in electronic health records, respecting civil rights in intra-professional relationships, and more. An essential companion for physicians and other medical professionals, attorneys, and patients who contend with the challenging issues and choices inherent in modern medicine, this resource has been increasingly looked to for legal advocacy, decision making in matters of health care law and litigation, and development of health care policy.