Journal of Medical Ethics
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Journal of medical ethics The Journal of the Contents Society for the Study of Medical Ethics I55 Editorial James C Blackie Editor Janus or looking both ways at once A V Campbell Focus 157 The care of the mentally abnormal offender Consulting Editors and the protection ofthe public A S Duncan Henry R Rollin C M Fletcher The concept ofdangerousness Alan Editorial Board Norton R B Welbourn (Chairman) Main articles Patrick Byrne I63 Medical practice: Defendants and prisoners R Y Calne PaulBowden R D Catterall 173 The place ofmedicine in the American prison: J Dominian Ethical issues in the treatment of offenders G R Dunstan Peter L Sissons Roger Higgs I8o Dilemmas of medical ethics in the Canadian Lord Kilbrandon Penitentiary Service Gordon Horobin CRoy i85 The just provision of health care: A reply to W S Peart Elizabeth Telfer Raymond Plant Hillel Steiner Elizabeth Telfer Dame Muriel Powell I90 Case for a statutory "definition ofdeath' Anthony Thorley P D G Skegg Sir Martin Roth 193 Is geriatrics the answer to the problems of old Cicely Saunders age ? Tony Smith I PH Millard II Brice Pitt III David Hobman Edward Shotter Case conference 200 Retreat from death? Technical Editor Analysis Gunilla Liddle 207 Equality A V Campbell 209 The parliamentary scene Tony Smith 2II Book reviews 213 News and notes 2I4 Correspondence 2I5 Lectures and symposia 2IO The parliamentary scene a depressing ring about it. Much of the current of public concern though it was based on a fictional anxiety about psychiatric treatment has been account of practices over IO years' old in the USA. generated by groups opposed to orthodox psychiatry We need to remember that the vast majority of who believe that there is no place for drug treatment patients needing psychiatric help retain enough or any form of physical therapy. So much publicity insight to accept informal admission, and that has been given to their clamour that it was, perhaps, treatment given without the patient's consent inevitable that the Medical Research Council should remains the exception even with formal patients. turn down the request by the Royal College of Yet there are a few patients for whom compulsion Psychiatrists for a grant for a controlled trial of is necessary: and to deny this may deprive them of psychosurgery. Fears and misconceptions have been their only hope of returning to sanity. encouraged by films such as 'One Flew Over the TONY SMITH Cuckoo's Nest - quoted in Parliament as evidence Contents of Volume 2, Copies can be obtained from the Publisher, Journal of medical ethics, Number 3, I976 Tavistock House East, Tavistock Square, London WCiH 9JR Editorial Exorcism: A psychiatric viewpoint Analysis W H Trethowan Liberty Main articles Hillel Steiner Justice, welfare and health care Congenital abnormalities and The parliamentary scene Elizabeth Telfer selective abortion Mary J Seller Tony Smith Correspondence 'Side effects': A misnomer Case conference C R B Joyce 'The soft embalmer of the still Book reviews midnight': A problem of Lectures and symposia The ethics ofanimal experimentation prescribing hypnotics in general W Lane-Petter practice News and notes Journal of medical ethics, I976, 2, 213-214 News and notes Annual conference Medical weekend for students Newcastle Medical Group, Human sexuality is the subject of Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Department of Family and the 14th annual conference of Great Park, is arranging a further Community Medicine, University the London Medical Group, medical weekend from Friday of Newcastle, St Thomas Street, which will be held in conjunction to Sunday, 25 to 27 March 1977. Newcastle. (SAE). with the Society for the Study of Further details from the Conference Medical Ethics, on Friday and Secretary, London Medical Group, James Blackle Memorial Fund Saturday, ii and I2 February I977. Tavistock House East, Woburn The first editorial in this issue is a The conference will be held at the Walk, WCiH 9LG. (SAE). tribute to James Royal College of Surgeons of Blackie, The Director in Poland a member from its inception of England, Lincoln's Inn Fields, the Editorial Board of this Journal. London WCi. Following a visit of some Polish One of his major interests was The conference will examine medical students to London in the restoration of old property for past and present attitudes to 1975, Edward Shotter, the Director those with particular housing human sexuality and their of Studies of the Society, visited needs, including the disabled. implications for members of the Warsaw, Lublin and Cracow in And as this would have pleased him medical and other caring professions. June 1976 to meet doctors and more than any lectureship or Chairmen and speakers will others interested in promoting other memorial, it is proposed to include: Professor R B Welbourn, the study of medical ethics in establish a fund to make possible Director of the Department of Poland. a good restoration of such an Surgery, Royal Postgraduate Communication with the patient old building in Edinburgh, and Medical School; Professor Robin Du call the house James Blackie House. Boulay, Professor of Medieval The southern medical groups' Contributions, however small, History, Bedford College; Dr conference on 'Communication should be sent to the Hon Jack Dominian, consultant with the patient' will be arranged Treasurer, Edinvar Housing psychiatrist, Central Middlesex by the Bristol Medical Group on Association, New College, Hospital; Mr P D Trevor Roper, Saturday, 23 April I977. Further The Mound, Edinburgh. consultant ophthalmic surgeon, information from the Hon Westminster Hospital; Dr Roy Secretary, Bristol Medical Group, Strong, Director, Victoria & Albert Dr Chris Lovell, Department of The Editor of the Journal of Museum; Professor Norman Morris, Medicine, Bristol Royal Infirmary, medical ethics visits South Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Bristol BS2 8HW. (SAE). Africa University of London; Professor In September the Editor of the Marshall Marinker, Professor of First northern conference of Journal of medical ethics visited the Community Medicine, University the Society for the Study of Republic of South Africa at the of Leicester; Dr Malcolm Pines, Medical Ethics invitation of the Medical Faculty consultant psychotherapist, The first northern conference of of the University of Stellenbosch Maudsley Hospital; Sir Denis Hill, the Society for the Study of Medical in order to attend a conference Professor of Psychiatry, Institute of Ethics will be held in the marking the official opening of Psychiatry; Dr R D Catterall, University of Edinburgh on 21 the Faculty's teaching hospital Director, James Pringle House, and 22 January I977. The at Tygerberg. The theme of the Middlesex Hospital; Mrs Claire conference will deal with the subject conference was 'Mankind and Rayner, medical journalist and of human birth. Further details medicine in the third millenium'. agony columnist; Mr Peter Righton, and application forms from the Throughout the conference it was author of Counselling Homosexuals; Secretary, EMG Project Office, stressed that priorities in health Professor Enda McDonagh, Top Flat Right, 24 Buccleuch care must be reallocated in the moral theologian, St Patrick's Place, Edinburgh. (SAE). Republic of South Africa. In his College, Maynooth. paper, which was widely reported Further information (SAE) and Children, medicine and the law in the South African press, application forms (available after The Newcastle Medical Group is Dr Campbell indicated the dangers 3 January I977) from the arranging a conference on 'Children, inherent in creating a system Conference Convenor, London medicine and the law' on which would result in an Medical Group, Tavistock House Saturday, 12 March 1977. Further escalating health problem for the East, Woburn Walk, WCiH 9LG information from the Secretary, majority of the population. Journal of medical ethics, 1976, 2, 214 Correspondence The utilization of animals animal associations and assumes industrializedsocieties,thesystematic that the human understanding of ill treatment of animals in great SIR, animals which genuinely character- varieties of ways is economically and In the 'Ethics of animal experi- izes some of these associations must technologically most efficient and mentation' (Journal ofmedical ethics, somehow characterize all of them, a therefore most profitable. The under- 2, I19-I26), Lane-Petter writes: risky assumption about matters of standing of animals necessary to 'But there is a positive advantage fact which the facts themselves do produce and utilize them on a com- in man exercising his domiance m not support. mercial scale is precisely an under- dealing with animals in this [experi- It is certainly true that some standing of these efficiencies, in- ments) as in most other ways that understanding of animals is neces- cluding an understanding of the bring him into intimate contact with sary in order to raise them success- profits to be made by systematic animals. Whether in the laboratory, fully, to maintain them in zoos and ill treatment. The production and on the farm, in the zoo or the circus, circuses, and in the case of wild utilization of expermental animals hunting with gun or camera, harpoon animals to find and kill them. But on a commercial scale is probably or net, the people thus involved have the kind of understanding which is no better and no worse than our to study and understand their sub- necessary for the effective realization production and utilization ofanimals ject. Understanding, among people of these ends