By Albert R. Jonsen. 153 pp. New York, Oxford University Press, 2000. $34.95. ISBN 0-19-513455-9.
Albert Jonsen, a distinguished theoretician and practitionerof bioethics, has written what is essentially a prehistory ofthe field. He begins with the Greek and Roman period (from thefifth century b.c.e. to the third century c.e.), moves on tomedieval medicine, embarks on a quick tour of medical ethicsin India and China, returns to European medical ethics, andthen concludes with developments in America. For most of this2500-year period, medical ethics consisted of physicians' definingthe proper conduct for their profession. Jonsen classifies mostof this conduct as decorum: demeanor such as politeness andrespectfulness that was . . . [Full Text of this Article]
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