Medicine and Morality

The first historical study of morality and science in Canadian medicine, Medicine and Morality shows how moments of doubt in doctors’ impartiality resulted in changes to how medicine was done, and even to the very definition of medical practice itself.

The first historical study of morality and science in Canadian medicine, Medicine and Morality shows how moments of doubt in doctors’ impartiality resulted in changes to how medicine was done, and even to the very definition of medical practice itself.

Helen Kang is a health care consultant and writer, specializing in research analysis and knowledge synthesis. She has published on a wide range of topics in health, including patient-provider relationships, clinical uncertainty, interprofessional care, and continuing medical education. She works with health care organizations to develop new systems, policies, and practice standards. She received her doctorate in sociology from Simon Fraser University and is a recipient of the Social Science and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowship.

Viviane Fairbank:

Kang’s analysis illuminates our current anxiety about the proper place of health care in public life.

T.J. (Jock) Murray, professor emeritus, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University:
Medicine and Morality offers a valuable perspective on how medicine has to reconcile many conflicting ethical standards, concepts, and beliefs.

Cynthia R. Whitehead, director, Wilson Centre for Research in Education, and professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto:
Kang incisively analyzes three Canadian historical cases to provide an engaging account of the complexity and context-specific nature of the construction of morality in medicine. Her work highlights the interplay of science, ethics, professional interests, and the social contract.

Wendy Lipworth, associate professor, Sydney Health Ethics, School of Public Health, University of Sydney:
A revealing look at how professional morality and norms are always in flux and how the project of “professionalization” is historically situated and ongoing. This long-overdue book takes a much-needed look at the pervasiveness of conflict of interest in science and medicine.