Bioethics

A Small Dose of Medical Ethics

Ethics and Science - a Brief History

1860’s - Scientific method in medicine, Gregor Mendel
1928 - Penicillin discovered – widely used WWII
1920’s - Lead in gasoline, lead in paint
1931 - 30 states had sterilization laws on books
1932 - Tuskegee syphilis study initiated
1947 - Nuremberg - The Doctors Trial
1952 - First open heart surgery & Chlorpromazine
1953 - Structure of DNA – Watson & Crick
60’s - Thalidomide, mercury, chronic hemodialysis, amniocentesis, informed consent, IRB’s, Helsinki Declaration - adopted
70’s - Hastings Center founded, bioethics defined, Tuskegee noticed, Belmont Report (3 principles), Genentech Inc. founded, awareness of FAS, sensitivity of developing CNS
80’s - Recombinant microorganism could be patented, lead is harmful to developing brain
90’s - molecular biology, sequencing of human genome (other species), Jurassic Park
00’s - US stem cell research restricted
03---? - Human cloned?

Helsinki Declaration - adopted by the 18th World Medical Assembly Helsinki, Finland, June 1964

The Online Ethics Center For Engineering and Science at Case Western Reserve University

Geneva Conventions - The history of humanitarian law / Prisoners of war

Brief history of Geneva Convention from the Red Cross Web site

"The First Geneva Convention, signed in 1864, was the first treaty of international humanitarian law. In 1899 in the Hague it was signed the next convention, applying the Geneva convention to war action at sea.

And in 1907 The Hague Convention determined combatants' categories. In 1929 these conventions were developed further and expanded one more time. In 1949 during the international conference it was adopted Geneva convention "Civil persons' protection during the war-time" as well transcribed three previous adapted conventions and submitted their texts. The Geneva convention from 1949 and additional Protocols in toto nearly 600 paragraphs is law achievement with a historical importance.

In the aftermath of the Second World War, a Diplomatic Conference deliberated for four months before adopting the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, which for the first time included provisions for the protection of civilians in wartime. In 1977, the Conventions were supplemented by two Additional Protocols."