Ethics is no less of a science than any other. It has its roots in conflicts of interest between human beings, and in their conflicting urges to behave either selfishly or altruistically. Resolving such conflicts leads to the specification of rules of conduct, often expressed in terms of rights and duties. In the special case of professional ethics, the paramount rule of conduct is altruism in the service of a 'noble' cause, and this distinguishes true professions from other trades or (...) occupations. If professional ethics come into conflict with national laws, the professional today can test the legitimacy of such laws by reference to internationally agreed legal standards in the field of human rights, and so help to perform the role of 'professions as the conscience of society'. (shrink)

This paper describes COMET, the first 'expert' computer system to incorporate a comprehensive set of the rules of law and medical ethics relating to consent to medical treatment.

In a wide ranging paper the author, a barrister, considers medical ethics in the context of divided loyalties, particularly those of a doctor employed by the National Health Service and those of doctors in occupational medicine. He argues for more specific professional codes of medical ethics, especially in relation to the need to obtain patients' explicit consent before medical details are transmitted to third parties. On the thorny question of when, if ever, can the good of society override the doctor's (...) special duty to his patient of confidentiality, he urges medical organisations to be more explicit at least on how members can set about resolving such dilemmas - mere assertion that a problem exists and that individual doctors must resolve it according to their consciences is not good enough, he says. Extolling honesty and openness as fundamental values he ends by suggesting that part of a binding code of medical ethics might be a requirement that doctors display in their waiting rooms information about their personal moral stances concerning major dilemmas of medical ethics. The paper was given as the Lucas lecture under the aegis of the Royal College of Physicians' Faculty of Occupational Medicine, in whose journal it is also published. (shrink)