Kontakt 2011, 13(3):336-344 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2011.039

Philosophical starting points of medical ethicsHealth and Social Sciences - Review

Mária Nemčeková

Vysoká škola v Sládkovičove, Fakulta verejnej politiky a verejnej správy

The author shows connections between philosophical starting points and identification of ethical problems associated with the medical practice. The Hippocrates concept of medicine was not only a moral change in the attitude to the patient and in the formulation of principles of non-malefficiency and benefficiency expressed in the known therapeutic idea: to cause no harm, to be helpful or at least not to be harmful. It particularly brought changes in ontology - by changing the concept of the disease and methodology - by the implementation of the causal criterion and searching for natural causes of the disease in disorders of somatic and mental relationships and also relationships to the external environment. Medicine was developed as a natural discipline and later also as a discipline oriented at natural science. The reflection and updating of ethical problems also correspond to this starting point and to understanding man. Enormous scientific, publication and control attention is being paid to ethical problems associated with the development of biomedicine and technical approaches to it, such as experiment with a human subject, interventions into the reproductive process, genetics, use of stem cells, transplantations, etc. Problems of the justification and conditions for preventing discrimination for any reasons are also being discussed. The least attention is being paid to ethical aspects of inter-human relationships including practical, informal implementation of patients' rights. Solution of moral dilemmas of physicians almost remains beyond the focus of interest. Special education in medical ethics including its humanitarian, anthropological (cultural and philosophical) orientation, discussion and exchange of knowledge concerning therapy with estimation of dignity or moderation of suffering also by non-pharmacological methods, as well as implementation of more numerous research studies aimed at ethical dilemmas of physicians could be helpful not only for patients but also for more considerable mental comfort of physicians.

Keywords: philosophy; medical ethics; culture; values; moral dilemmas of physicians

Received: March 29, 2011; Accepted: August 22, 2011; Published: September 29, 2011  Show citation