Medicine and Morality

Medical professionals are expected to act in the interest of patients, the public, and the pursuit of medical knowledge. Their disinterested stance gives them credibility and authority. But what happens when doctors’ supposed impartiality comes under fire? In Medicine and Morality, Helen Kang examines three moments in the history of the medical profession in Canada, spanning more than 150 years, when doctors’ moral and scientific authority was questioned. She shows that, in these moments of crisis, the profession was compelled to re-examine its priorities, strategize in order to regain credibility, and redefine what it means to be a good doctor.

Medicine and Morality reveals that professional medicine defines integrity, objectivity, accountability, neutrality, and other ideals according to its social, political, historical, and economic struggles with the state, the media, and even the public. In other words, moral and scientific standards in medicine are determined in direct relation to, not in spite of, conflict of interest.