Amputees by choice: Body integrity identity disorder and the ethics of amputation

Journal of Applied Philosophy 22 (1):75–86 (2005)
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Abstract

In 1997, a Scottish surgeon by the name of Robert Smith was approached by a man with an unusual request: he wanted his apparently healthy lower left leg amputated. Although details about the case are sketchy, the would-be amputee appears to have desired the amputation on the grounds that his left foot wasn’t part of him – it felt alien. After consultation with psychiatrists, Smith performed the amputation. Two and a half years later, the patient reported that his life had been transformed for the better by the operation [1]. A second patient was also reported as having been satisfied with his amputation [2]

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Author Profiles

Neil Levy
Macquarie University
Tim Bayne
Monash University