May Archive

Corruptio optimi pessima, o medice?

Michael Cook | 04 May 2012

The behaviour of Nazi doctors is universally accepted as a touchstone of bioethics. In the current issue of the Journal of Medical Ethics, a medical student asks whether doctors are actually more likely than other professions to be moral monsters.

April Archive

Is there a limit to the wisdom of the market?

Michael Cook | 28 April 2012

Why can you sell sperm but not your vote? These conundrums are investigated by Michael Sandel, of Harvard University, in his latest book, What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets. It is sure to become a reference point in future bioethics debates.

Being a doctor in China is a dangerous profession

Michael Cook | 28 April 2012

Violence against doctors is increasing in China. China Daily has reported that in 2010, 17,000 violent incidents in about 70% of the country’s hospitals. This includes murder.

Dark side of IVF makes an impact

Michael Cook | 28 April 2012

Last week’s news that birth defects are 37% higher for IVF children is dramatic. “That is a huge number,” writes Art Caplan, of New York University. He is probably the most quoted bioethicist in the US, and possibly the world, so attitudes could change.

UK teen recovers “fully” after 4 doctor found him “brain dead”

Michael Cook | 28 April 2012

Miraculous recoveries from brain trauma are always good news, but they may not be as miraculous as they first seem. However, the Daily Mail’s account of a boy who recovered fully after four specialists declared that he was brain dead makes one question if doctors really understand brain death.

New fertility microscope boosts rates of successful birth

Jared Yee | 28 April 2012

A sophisticated new microscope allows fertility doctors to monitor fertilised eggs in utero for up to five days - and proponents claim it has boosted pregnancy rates by 50%.

Brain dead American woman gives birth to twins

Jared Yee | 28 April 2012

A pregnant woman from Detroit who was declared dead gave birth to twins this week after being kept alive for a month with a respirator.

Role of nurses in Third Reich “overlooked”

Jared Yee | 28 April 2012

The work of Nazi doctors is a well-documented lesson in medical ethics. There was even a separate trial for them at Nuremberg and seven were hanged. But what about the nurses who assisted them?

Fertility drugs linked to cancer in children

Jared Yee | 28 April 2012

Fertility drugs could more than double the risk of offspring developing childhood leukaemia, academics cautioned this week.

Let’s give intellectually disabled the right to euthanasia, say Belgian humanists

Michael Cook | 27 April 2012

People with intellectual disabilities, all children and people with dementia should be able to request euthanasia, the Belgian Liberal Humanist Association (HVV) has declared.

Five Hawaii doctors offer assisted-suicide to terminally ill patients

Jared Yee | 21 April 2012

A group of Hawaii doctors is offering to write prescriptions for terminally ill patients in order to test whether physician-assisted suicide is permitted under state law, American Medical News reports.

Texas passes stem cell regulations

Jared Yee | 21 April 2012

The Texas Medical Board approved controversial regulations last Friday which are claimed to guarantee safe clinical use of stem cells and other “investigational agents”.

Uzbekistan may be secretly sterilising women

Jared Yee | 21 April 2012

Uzbekistan has a policy of secretly sterilising women, according to the BBC.

IVF linked to risk of birth defects and heart disease

Michael Cook | 20 April 2012

Two recent studies have shown that the incidence of birth defects and long-term circulatory problems is much higher among children conceived with IVF.

Controversial guidelines for UK doctors

Michael Cook | 20 April 2012

The General Medical Council, the UK body which registers and disciplines doctors, is proposing controversial amendments to its guidelines for good patient care. A proposed draft, released this week, declares that doctors may not even refuse requests for sex-change surgery.

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