Codification of Medical Morality

This book offers the first wide-ranging survey of early medical ethics, primarily, but not exclusively, in the English-speaking world. Based on fresh historical research and philosophical analysis, the period covered is the 'long eighteenth century', culminating in the notable formal ethics of John Gregory and Thomas Percival. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between the ethical dilemmas of actual practice and the formulations of philosophically-minded physicians. The historical and philosophical roots of late Enlightenment medical-ethical theories are also examined. A second volume (1993) will examine developments in the nineteenth century.