The Philosophy of Medicine Reborn - (Notre Dame Studies in Medical Ethics and Bioethics) by Edmund D Pellegrino

Book Synopsis

Edmund D. Pellegrino has played a central role in shaping the fields of bioethics and the philosophy of medicine. His writings encompass original explorations of the healing relationship, the need to place humanism in the medical curriculum, the nature of the patient's good, and the importance of a virtue-based normative ethics for health care.

In this anthology, H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., and Fabrice Jotterand have created a rich presentation of Pellegrino's thought and its development. Pellegrino's work has been dedicated to showing that bioethics must be understood in the context of medical humanities, and that medical humanities, in turn, must be understood in the context of the philosophy of medicine. Arguing that bioethics should not be restricted to topics such as abortion, third-party-assisted reproduction, physician-assisted suicide, or cloning, Pellegrino has instead stressed that such issues are shaped by foundational views regarding the nature of the physician-patient relationship and the goals of medicine, which are the proper focus of the philosophy of medicine.

This volume includes a preface ("Apologia") by Dr. Pellegrino and a comprehensive Introduction by the editors. Of interest to medical ethicists as well as students, scholars, and physicians, The Philosophy of Medicine Reborn offers fascinating insights into the emergence of a field and the work of one of its pioneers.

Review Quotes

"For those who are familiar with Pellegrino's life's work, these essays present a synthesis of the corpus of his philosophy and practice of medicine. The Reader ought to be used as a textbook, not simply a reference, for teaching the core values and critical competencies of the health professions to new clinicians." --National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly

"This practical bent of the healer's life--choosing one treatment over another, weighing both the existential and economic costs of a particular action, and so on¯demands a moral framework within which conflicting ideas about what is good may be resolved and that may guide the actions of the physician in the unique encounter with the patient before him. The Philosophy of Medicine Reborn does much to lay a foundation on which such a moral framework might be built." --First Things

"Editors H. Tristam Engelhardt, Jr., and Fabrice Jotterand have carefully selected, organized, and interpreted the writings of Pellegrino, making them more accessible to students, scholars, physicians, and anyone generally interested in medical ethics. In almost a lecture style, the editors present an overview of each article, emphasizing the important developments in each, which will make this volume particularly useful as a teaching tool for a journal club or seminar course, or for anyone outside the field of bioethics looking for guidance on what to read." --Quarterly Review of Biology

"Pellegrino believes bioethics should not be restricted to specific topics such as abortion, cloning, or physician-assisted suicide. In this collection of nineteen essays from across his career, Pellegrino describes the philosophical foundations of medicine and of the medical profession, the healing relationship, virtue and medical practice with the physician as moral agent, the humanities in medicine, and the Hippocratic tradition." --Book News

"This remarkable book summarizes Edmund Pellegrino's writings by extracting several meaningful essays from his voluminous bibliography. These point to the dearth of humanities requirements for medical training and highlight the poverty of ethical considerations in medical decision-making. . . . Agree or disagree, this book needs to be read by all physicians, especially those whose education was devoid of philosophy. The editors have done an excellent job of offering a sage's viewpoint in an accessible form." --Journal of American Medical Association

"This volume is composed of a selection from Dr. Pellegrino's corpus of writings on medical ethics. To date, these essays have been unavailable in one work. . . . This reader provides essays on philosophical foundations of medicine, the medical profession, physician-patient relationship, physician as moral agent, humanism and the Hippocratic tradition." --Issues in Law & Medicine

About the Author

Edmund D. Pellegrino (1920-2013) was professor emeritus of medicine and medical ethics and adjunct professor of philosophy at Georgetown University.

Fabrice Jotterand is associate professor and director of the Graduate Program in Bioethics at the Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr. (1941-2018) was professor of philosophy at Rice University and professor emeritus of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.