The Birth of Bioethics

This is the first broad history of bioethics, a field that developed in response to the moral questions raised by advances in medicine and the biological sciences since the Second World War. Covering the period 1947 to 1987, it examines the origins and evolution of the debates and policies on human experimentation, termination of life-support, organ transplantation, genetic engineering and reproductive manipulation. Very readable, it is also very thoroughly documented to primary and secondary sources and will serve as an excellent general reference.