Atkinson, Gary

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The Linacre QuarterlyVolume 54 | Number 3 Article 188-1-1987[Book Review of ] On Moral Medicine: TheologicalPerspectives in Medical Ethics, edited by Stephen E.Lammers and Allen VerheyGary AtkinsonFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnqPart of the Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons, and the Medicine and Health SciencesCommonsRecommended CitationAtkinson, Gary (1987) "[Book Review of] On Moral Medicine: Theological Perspectives in Medical Ethics, edited by Stephen E. Lammersand Allen Verhey," The Linacre Quarterly: Vol. 54 : No. 3 , Article 18.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol54/iss3/18relate to them, especia lly family members . Hooy man and Lustbader wrote in a context which recognizes the major social changes which have taken place in our country, particularly in the last 30 years. As the authors point out, there has been a major growth in our population of individuals over the age of 65, at the same time that there have been marked changes in our society which make the ways those individuals have to adapt marked ly different than in the past. The authors recognize the increased soc ial mobility of our socie ty. change in family size and. with both of these, a serious undercutting of our traditional support systems. What the authors have given us is first. a broad recognition of the multifaceted problems and attitudes which can occur in an aging population. This is a major strength of the book. but not the only one. The authors' approach he lps develop a sensitivity to how the older person may perceive his / her change in life and, at the same time. gives a great deal of data about what realities he / she actually faces. A second major strength of the book is one which complements the first and that is the excellent comprehensive listing of resources. references and options. There are ta bles which ·1 list potential problems which can serve as useful check li sts for evaluating home envi ronment . a list of practical suggestions and. for insta nce . an excellent question and answer sect ion on social security. These are only a few of the areas covered which are dealt with by providillg not only an awareness of possible concerns and problems. but also by listing practical suggestions. Et hica l considerations have a limited place in this worthwhile book. but issues such as the importance of meaningful communication to protect a sense of worth of the individual and the inherent paternalism in nursing homes is covered. In di scussing the right to refuse treatment, the authors make an important distinction between imminent dealh and lerminal illness. This is not a book , however. which has an ethical perspective and, unfortunately, even religious dimensions are not suggested as options. However, overall, this is an excellent practical volume for professionals concerned with the agi ng popUlation. their families and almost anyone over the age of 50 who would like to plan for his or her coming years. On Moral Medicine: - Robert J. Barnet Reno, Nevada Theological Perspectives in Medical Ethics Stephen E. Lammers and Allen Verhey, Editors (Grand Rapids. Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 1987). x+657 pp. $35.00 cloth. $24.95 paper. In these days when the cost of books can run in excess of 10 cents a page, this book represents a really impressive value . Covering 650 densely printed, double-column pages, no less than 105 articles are reprinted , dealing with a vast range of issues in biomedical ethics. The book is divided into three parts and 19 chapters, each chapter prefaced with a brief introduction raising the principal issues discussed in the following articles. Part one is entitled "Perspectives on Religion and Medicine" and contains three chapters. The first deal s with medicine as viewed from within the Judea-Christian perspective. Chapter two analyzes the relation between theology and biomedical ethics, and Chapter three examines August, 1987 91 the nature of the profession of medicine. Part two is entit led "Concepts in Religion and Medicine," and contains six chapters ana lyzing the concepts of life and the sanctity of life; health and healing; death and dignity; nature and its human mastery; suffering and the care of patients; human agency and respect for persons. Part three is entitled "Issues in Medical Ethics" and covers 10 topics of contraception; artificial reproduction; genetic manipulation; abortion; euthanasia; care of defective newborns; the physician~patient relationship and informed consent; social responsibilities of the medical profession; experimentation on human subjects; and justice in the allocation of medical resources. All this in 105 articles plus 19 introductions. The introductions are informative and serve to place the articles in an intelligible context. The articles themselves are uneven in quality, but there are enough excellent articles to justify this book, and the use of even the less satisfactory articles nevertheless serves the important function of illustrating what is being said these days about topics in biomedical ethics. The overall selection of articles appears to reflect the Protestant and evangelical background of the editors: James Gustafson is represented by six articles , Karl Barth, Paul Ramsey , and Stanley Hauerwas by five each, C.S . Lewis with three. On the Catholic side, Karl Rahner and Charles Curran have three articles , and Richard McCormick two. The 1980 Declaration on Euthanasia by the Sacred Congregat ion for the Doctrine oftheFaith is included , as well as the text of Humanae Vitae. Some of the more outstanding articles found in the anthology are Richard Stith's "Toward Freedom from Value" (a sadly neglected article worth the price of the book), Hans Jonas's "Philosophical Reflections on Experimenting with Human Subjects," and Stanley Hauerwas's "Rational Suicide and Reasons for Living" and "The Christian, Society, and the Weak: A Meditation on the Care of the Retarded." This reviewer has the boldness to believe that he could have put together a somewhat superior anthology, especially one for Catholic Christian circles , but the overall quality of the selection is high, and the book is a steal at $25 for the paperback edition. 92 - Gary M, Atkinson College of St. Thomas Linacre Quarterly 

[Book Review of] \u3cem\u3eOn Moral Medicine: Theological Perspectives in Medical Ethics\u3c/em\u3e, edited by Stephen E. Lammers and Allen Verhey

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[Book Review of] \u3cem\u3eOn Moral Medicine: Theological Perspectives in Medical Ethics\u3c/em\u3e, edited by Stephen E. Lammers and Allen Verhey

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