In 1803 Thomas Percival, M.D., published an extraordinarily influential book on medical ethics. His book, Medical Ethics or a Code of Institutes and Precepts Adapted to the Professional Conduct of Physicians and Surgeons, can be found in its entirety on Google. After being widely used as a model for conduct in England and Scotland it was brought to the United States in the 1840’s and formed the foundation for the first formal code of ethics written by the American Medical Association.
I have always admired the clarity of Percival’s writing and would suggest that it stands as a model to anyone who attempts to write a code of ethics or rules of behavior. Having said that, read Percival’s article IX and X below and ask yourself, have these two articles of faith in the medical profession done more harm or more good?
ARTICLE IX
“The medical gentlemen of every charitable institution, are in some degree, responsible for, and the guardians of, the honour of each other. No physician or surgeon, therefore, should reveal occurrences in the hospital, which may injure the reputation of any one of his colleagues except under the restriction contained in the succeeding article.”
Article X
“No professional charge should be made by a physician or surgeon, either publicly or privately, against an associate, without previously laying the complaint before the gentlemen of the faculty belonging to the institution, that they may judge concerning the reasonableness of its grounds, and the measures to be adopted.”
2..The National Practitioner Data Bank. An updated primer on the Data Bank will be distributed later in the semester.
3..READ; Blind Eye by James B. Stewart
Assignment
1. How was Dr. Swango able to continue to get credentials and continue to get jobs?
2. Why do you think the data bank information is not available to the public?
3. Are there safeguards in place to prevent another Dr. Swango?