Walsh, Maurice B.

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The Linacre QuarterlyVolume 22 | Number 3 Article 68-1-1955Book Review of Morale et Medicine, by Jules PaquinMaurice B. WalshFollow this and additional works at: https://epublications.marquette.edu/lnqPart of the Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons, and the Medicine and Health SciencesCommonsRecommended CitationWalsh, Maurice B. (1955) "Book Review of Morale et Medicine, by Jules Paquin," The Linacre Quarterly: Vol. 22 : No. 3 , Article 6.Available at: https://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol22/iss3/6Book Review by Jules Paquin, S. J. Review by Maurice B. Walsh, S.J. Books like this are not written often enough. Here is a volume on medical morality which deserves, and is likely to rece ive ,  rave re­views from both moralists and members of the medical profession. Perhaps its merit can be summar­ized by saying that it is not just a "Question Box," not a ·cookbook of medico-moral recipes. Some moralists have too readily assumed that the doctor and nurse are too · busy about their own professionaloccupations to have time for any­thing more than the "ready an-·swer" to moral problems whicharise in the course of those occu­pations. Father Paquin gives theready answers-and they are gen­erally solid ones-but he makes nounjustified assumptions. His basicassumption ( and why not?) is thatCatholic doctors and nurses arevitally concerned about the philos­ophy and theology which are thefoundation for the answer-eventhe answer to the questions whichhave not yet been asked.100 The author began his teaching career as a priest in a classroom of dogmatic theology; this no doubt influences his treatment of moral questions. Any moral theologian must base his work on dogma and sound philosophy; few succeed as well as Father Paquin in integrat­ing these basic sciences into the pattern of Chrisitan morality. This may be the reason why the book is outstanding for the prevalence of "do" over "don't." In broad outline, the work pro­ceeds from a treatment of basic principles ( Introduction, Part I; pp. 1-73), to general moral obliga­tions with their application to the medical profession ( Part II; pp. 77 -111 ) , to particular problems encountered in the practice of med­icine ( Parts III-VI; pp. 115-453). Part I ( B asic Principles) begins with a brief treatment of general ethical norms .......... how and why a human act is morally" good or bad, either objectively or according to LINACRE QUARTERLY the conscience of the agent. Th· traditional position on the norm u; morality is then briefly contrasted with the situation ethics currentiy proposed by the Existential.isrs ( Chapter I). But it is not enough abstractly to establish the morality of free human activity. Freedom must be exercised in order to have any influence on sending a man to heaven or hell. · vVhile it is not always possible for us to establish the precise degree of human re­sponsibility in a given instance. Father Paquin does give some very sane norms for practical iudgment - indicating how Freudian psy­chology, taken in small and well-·filtered doses, is not necessarilytotally poisonous for the Catholicmoralist. Freud and some Freud­ians have been too willing to can­onize for their Freud i an heaven( wherever it is) poor, frustratedman whose Id plays the bully tohis free will; but p r e-F re udianmoralists sometimes were - andare-too quick in condemning himto hell, not realizing the extent of his frustrations and the complexityof his complexes ( Chapter II).Human liberty, even when exer­cised fully. will not of itself suffice.since our moral activity is directedto a supernatural end; hence su­pernatural merit is considered atthe close of Part I. as the last and most important of the basic prin­ciples of Christian morality ( Chap­ter III).The professional activity of a doctor or nurse is not the carrying on of a trade or even the exercise of a profession merely; it is an apostolate. Part II. on general ob­ligations, begins with this premise, AUGUST, 1955 c•ra·:. i' fr m the allocutio1,s of the :1rese;·1t Holy Father. Here the i3 uthor treats in turn: professional qualities required in the doctor or nurse. justice and charity. prin­ciples of cooperation, the obliga­tion of treating the sick, and the consent of the patient to treatment. Here and throughout, frequent reference is made to the numerous staten,en s of Pius XII on medical matters ( The bibliography lists 42 distinc documents of Pius XII. either addressed to the medical profession or treating directly of medical quest,ons). Most moral obligations of doctors and nurses are obligations eith,.�r of justice or charity. The chapter on these two virtues is brief. ( only six pages long), but they are weighted pages - as is the distinction made be­tween the two vir t u e s: "Par lajustice, je considere mon prochainen tant qu'autre, et je respecte sesdroits stricts .... Par la charite, je considere mon prochain comme un autre moi-meme, et je cherche a subvenir a ses besoins materiels ou spirituels." (pp. 88-89) Particular professional oblig a ­tions are all grouped around the general notion of respect for the human person. In the hierarchy of goods which the doctor and his assistants must respect. the super­natural life of the patient holds the first place ( Part III. the Sacra­ments). But the medical profession has as its proper object the interior \:tOods of the human person: life. the integrity of the members and functions of the human body. the physical and psy chic  h ealth of man. Even after death, the human body remains an object of rever-101 ence and respect (Part IV-V, Re­spect for i n terior goods). The same respect for the human person demands both discretion and in­tegrity in using information ac­quired in a professional capacity­either in revealing the truth to the patient himself or in concealing it from those who have no right to the knowledge. Justice particular­ly, but also charity, motivates the determination of fees - since the patient is not only "un autre" but "un autre moi-meme" ( Part VI. Respect for combined and material goods). As might be expected, the bulk of the work ( about 350 pages) is concerned with particular obliga­tions. Specific problems are solved on a basis of principle, with a posi­tive and constructive attitude being maintained throughout. The author is as much concerned with what is right as with what is wrong. This constructive attitude is particularly evident in his treatment of the spir­itual care of the sick and his dis­cussion of questions of sexual mo­rality. Some of the problems · treated are: cooperat ion of  tliedoctor and his assistants in theadministration of the sacraments,·their own administration of thesacrament of baptism - the cir­cumstances and method in variouscases, the spiritual care of non­Catholics, principles governing thepreservation of human life. eutha­nasia, foeticide, abortion, prema­ture b i r th ,  cesareans, mutilationand sterilization, birth control, per­iodic continence, sexual moralityin the marriage and single state,artificial insemination ,  sterilitytests, therapeutic incont inence ,102 treatments · with sexual reaction, human experimentation, drugs and drug addiction, psychic health, psychotherapy in general and psy­choanalysis, hypnotism. narco-an­alysis, problems of Christian burial. the patient's right to the truth, the professional secret, split fees, un­necessary treatments and opera­tions, negligence or incompetence -in treatment. problems of restitu­tion after injustice.It would be almost impossiblefor a moralist to cover the entirefield of medical morality withoutproposing some opinions which areat least open to discussion. Not allthe opinions expressed will be uni­versally commended. For example,good hospital practice in the UnitedStates normally entails a delay oflonger than a week before thebaptism of a healthy infant (cf ..pp. 122-123). Granted the cate­gorical refusal of the non-Catholicparents. the baptism of a dyinginfant might more frequently beomitted here than in Catholic Que­bec (cf .. pp. 130-131). FatherPaquin is perhaps more liberalthan many moralists would pref erin allowing the Sacraments to dy­ing heretics and schismatics whoare still conscious-but this is thepriest's problem. The cooperationof the medical staff in the spiritualcare of the sick will vary consider­ably with the circumsta n c e s  oftime and place. In discussing theadministration of the Sacramentsin hospitals, the author seems tohave particularly in mind the smallhospital under Catholic auspices;sometimes distinctions have to bemade in order to apply the prin­ciples given to the situation exist-LINACRE QUARTERLY ing in our large city hospitals -­whether Catholic or not. Some moralists and canonists will con­sider as too liberal the opinion which allows a non-Catholic to act as proxy for a Catholic godparent in baptism ( p. 188); some will consider as exaggerated the pre­cautions advised in summoning a Protestant Minister to assist a dy­ing non-Catholic ( p. 187). Though a seriously scarred uterus may lic­itly be excised in some cases, too ready an argument by analogy to similar cases may be inadvisable ( cf., pp. 260-261 ) . It is a disap­pointment that the chapter on psy­chic health and psychotherapy (pp. 365-391) contains no ade­quate discussion of the client-cen­tered or non-directive type of psy­chotherapy. The definition of a lie as "une expression contraire aux MORALE ET MEDECINE L'lmprimerie du Messager: Montreal. 1955. pp. 489 AUGUST, 1955 exigences de la societe" ( cf .. pp. 407 -409) is likely to occasion some mumblings of discontent from the majority of Catholic moral phil­osophers and theologians ( This reviewer is rather inclined to mum­ble a bit himself at this departure from the traditional definition) . If no eyebrows were raised at any opinion proposed, this would be rather an indication that the author had contented himself with repeating what everybody else al­ways said. Independent thought and positive contribution to the progress of any science always re­sults in some new differences of opinion. Those who may differ most vocally with one or two ·par­ticular opinions expressed will also be most vocal in their enthusiasm for this real contribution to the moral theology of medicine. 103 

Book Review of \u3cem\u3eMorale et Medicine\u3c/em\u3e, by Jules Paquin

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Book Review of \u3cem\u3eMorale et Medicine\u3c/em\u3e, by Jules Paquin

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