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Special Aspects of Medical
Ethics and Deontology
From ancient times medical deontology has been
one of the branches of medical ethics which
evaluation juts into competence of forensic
medicine expertises.
 Basic principles of medical ethics concerning
medical practice and science should be
discussed together with the peculiarities
characteristic for each of the medical branch.
Meanwhile they include ethical aspects, which
are determined by Hypocrate oath and
International Doctors and Nurses Ethics Code.

Ethical concept incorporates wide range of questions related to the persons
interrelation and attitude against things and processes in the social life,
understanding ethics as behavior and politeness normatives, morality in the
whole society and in the social groups as well as moral or conscience, "what
I can" and "what I can not do", good and evil, attitute to the values of each
separate person. Good characteristics of ethics point-of-view variety has
been given by Mr. B.Sluckis "Theories as multi-coloured yarn. Good
has 120 theories." Existing such variety of the attitude there has been
advanced a theory: Nobody knows exactly what is morality. The most
popular formulation: Ethics - study of the morality. Rene Dekart has
formulated: "Ethics - study how to win passions". Simplicism theory
has postulated: Morality is a fear of something not to happen.
Sometimes ethics has been identified as morality. "Morality - ability to
overcome passions. What is good and what is evil has been
determined by morality, that is regulations with what man obtains
community with God and secondly - together with people. Good
unites people, evil - separates" (Benedictus Spinosa). Phylosophically
ethics has been connected with God, mind and correctness of the
behaviour. "Commandments are correct orders of reason. Justice is
love of wise" (Gotfried Leibnic). It has been confirmed by the popular
formulation of Immanuel Kant: "Against mankind in your own person
or anyone elses always act as an aim and never as mean. Act so
that your will maxima should always serve at the same time as a
principle of general legislation." Mr. V. Sagatowsky deliberates similary:
"Real morality - when person respects everybody: himself, other
and society. To dominate over myself to respect others!" At the
same time I. Kant admits that action of ethics puts restrictions: "All that
has been done willingly and with joy could not be moral". Mr. J.
Bentham objects: "In common comprehension moral is art to lead
persons action to create the greatest sum of happiness".
At the 60-ties of 20th century formed medical ethics
defines the basic principles of the relationship in
medicine: determining values, establishing normatives
and formulating codes. Basic principles of ethics for
every profession are the following: autonomy, equality,
objectivity, honesty, confidentiality, implementation of
duties - control, responsibility, to avoid the conflicts especially it is actual in medicine. As a part of medical
ethics deonthology investigates connection between
duties and rights of the medical stuff (study of
professional duty), one of its cornerstone is to keep
without prejudice principle. One time medical ethics tries
to find ethics of responsibility
Bioethics and religions
Christianity
DANGERS OF GENETIC MANIPULATION
Address by Pope John Paul II
to
members of the World Medical Association
(October 29, 1983)
The domain of deontology may appear,
especially today, as the most vulnerable in
thefield of medicine, but it is essential,
and medical morality shouldalways be
considered by practitioners as that norm
of theirprofessional practice which
deserves the most attention and, aboveall,
the greatest efforts in its defense.
It is evident that the extraordinary and
rapid advance of medical science entails
frequent rethinking of its deontology. You
arenecessarily confronted with new
questions which are stimulating butvery
delicate. With this the Church is in full
sympathy, and it willingly supports your
reflection, in its respect for your
responsibilities.
First of all, the respect for life. There is no
one, believer orunbeliever, who can refuse
to respect human life, to make it his
dutyto defend it, to save it, most
especially when as yet it has no voiceto
proclaim its rights. May all doctors be
faithful to the saying ofHippocrates which
they swear to uphold when they receive
theirdoctorate!
In the same vein, the General Assembly of
the World Medical Association had
adopted in 1948 at Geneva a form of the
saying whichspelled out its content as
follows: "I shall maintain absolute respect
for human life from the time of its
conception, even under threat. I shall
never allow my medical knowledge to be
used againstthe law of humanity."
God alone is the master of human life
and of its integrity.
A second point that I would like to stress is the
unity of the human being. It is important that
we do not isolate the technicalproblem posed by
the treatment of a specific illness from
theattention paid to the person of the patient in
all his aspects. It iswell to recall this when
medical science tends toward specialization in
each discipline. The doctor of yesterday was,
above all, a general practitioner. His attention
embraced, first of all, the totality of bodily
organs and functions.
The biological nature of each person is
untouchable in the sensethat it is constitutive of
the personal identity of the individualthroughout
the whole course of his history. Each human
person, in hisabsolutely unique singularity, is
constituted not only by his spirit,but by his body
as well. Thus, in the body and through the
body, onetouches the person himself in his
concrete reality. To respect thedignity of man,
consequently, amounts to safeguarding this
identity ofthe man "corpore et anima unus," as
Vatican Council II says.
Genetic manipulation becomes arbitrary and unjust
when it reduces life to an object, when it forgets
that it is dealing with a human subject, capable
of intelligence and freedom, worthy of respect
whatever may be their limitations; or when it
treats this person interms of criteria not founded
on the integral reality of the humanperson, at
the risk of infringing upon his dignity. In this
case, itexposes the individual to the caprice of
others, thus depriving him ofhis autonomy.
Scientific and technical progress, whatever it
be, must then maintain the greatest
respect for the moral values that
constitute asafeguard for the dignity of
the human person. And because, in
theorder of medical values, life is the
supreme and the most radical goodof
man, there must be a fundamental
principle: first oppose everything harmful,
then seek out and pursue the good.
While working in this obviously delicate
domain, the researcher adheres to the
design of God. God willed that man be the
king of creation. To you surgeons,
specialists in laboratory work, and to
you,general practitioners, belongs the task
of cooperating with all theforces of your
intelligence in the work of creation begun
on the first day of the world.
BUDDHISM AND MEDICINE
It has not gone unnoticed that the Buddhist aim of eliminating
suffering coincides with the objectives of medicine (Duncan
et al, 1981; Soni, 1976). The Buddhist emphasis on
compassion finds natural expression in the care of the sick,
and according to the Vinaya the Buddha himself stated
"Whoever, O monks, would nurse me, he should nurse the
sick" (Zysk, 1991:41). Buddhist clergy and laity have been
involved with the care of the sick for over two thousand
years. The Indian Buddhist emperor Asoka states in his
second Rock Edict that provision has been made
everywhere in his kingdom for medical treatment for both
men and animals, and that medicinal herbs suitable for both
have been imported and planted.

Buddhism's holistic understanding of human nature
encourages a psychosomatic approach to the pathology
of disease (Soni, 1976), something to which Western
medicine is now increasingly attuned. It may also be
suggested that the Buddhist philosophy of origination in
dependence is both a fruitful diagnostic model and a
philosophy which encourages a preventive approach to
healthcare. However, disquiet has been voiced recently
about how "natural" certain forms of traditional Buddhist
medicine are - notably the Tibetan "black pill" - some
recipes for which specify rhinoceros horn and bear-bile
among the ingredients (Leland, 1995).

MORAL PERSONHOOD
Personhood is both a central problem for Buddhist ethics and
Western medical ethics, and consequently a very promising area for
a dialogue between the two. The problem for Buddhist ethics has
always been why should people act ethically if there is no act, no
actor and no consequences of action (Collins, 1982). If there is no
self or other, how can there be karmic consequences, responsibility,
loyalty, or even compassion? Theravaadin scholars continue to be
divided over whether Buddhism suggests different ethics for those
who persist in the illusion of self (kammic ethics) and for those who
would transcend the illusion of self (nibbanic ethics). The
paradoxical unity of compassionate ethics and nihilistic insight into
selflessness has been the central koan of Mahaayaana Buddhism.
Tantra and Zen suggest that the person who sees that there is no
"I" is beyond good and evil.

DEATH, DYING AND EUTHANASIA
The themes of impermanence, decay and
death are omnipresent in Buddhist literature.
In many Asian cultures Buddhism is identified
as the authority par excellence on matters
pertaining to death, and is closely linked to
the rites and ceremonies associated with the
transition from this life to the next. Buddhist
literature emphasises the importance of
meeting death mindfully since the last
moment of one life can be particularly
influential in determining the quality of the
next rebirth.
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