Strangers at the Bedside: A History of How Law and Bioethics Transformed Medical Decision Making

Social Institutions and Social Change

by David J. Rothman

HTH

Genres: Medicine, History, Nonfiction, Health, Medical, Science, History Of Medicine

326 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 1991

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written and informative history of the development of bioethics in the US and its impact on medical decision making. Definitely recommend for people in the field.

[Sue Ugenti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good info but way too much like a text book.

[Anna Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

good explanation of how we got to where we are re: medical ethics. I was looking for a book more focusing on medical ethics. o well

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book that focused on the (extremely) rapid change in attitudes of Americans towards physicians and medical researchers. Rothman's argument is that social and technological changes added distance between doctors and their patients, which, in conjunction with changing attitudes about the rights of the individual, led to a dramatic rebalancing of the relative position of doctors and patients with respect to treatment. What was once almost the exclusive responsibility of doctors shifted into a world where doctors, lawyers, religious leaders, patients, family members, etc. all have some input into treatment.

His focus is on the period between 1966-1976. He convincingly ties the changes to contemporaneous changes going on in the Civil Rights Movement in relation to personal autonomy.

This is a thoughtful book. I think my one issue with it is that Rothman saves his skepticism about motives almost entirely for doctors. He is much less willing to question the motives of lawyers, politicians, and activists.

[Samuel Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written, insightful history of the rise of bioethics (particularly 1966-1976) written by a sympathetic and skillful historian. Highly recommended for historians of latter twentieth-century health/medicine/philosophy and for curious physicians and observers of physicians.