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Article
Evolving Ethical Issues in Selection of Subjects for Clinical Research
Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics (1996)
  • Charles Weijer, McGill University
Abstract

Wittgenstein, in his famous critique of philosophy, noted that the influence of an idea can be such that it alters the way that we see the world. “It is like a pair of glasses on our nose through which we see whatever we look at,” he said. “It never occurs to us to take them off.” This view of the power of an idea suggests that the interpretation of an event, and what response this event calls for, can depend upon the view one has of the world. A person who is naive about medical facts may, for example, interpret chest pain upon exertion as a sign that he is “overdoing it”; were he more medically knowledgeable, the same symptom might be interpreted as a possible indicator of coronary artery disease. The naive interpretation calls for rest; the informed interpretation calls for medical attention as well.

Keywords
  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome,
  • Clinical Trials,
  • Medical Ethics,
  • Human Experimentation,
  • Research Subjects,
  • Risk Assessment
Publication Date
June, 1996
Publisher Statement
Dr. Charles Weijer is currently a faculty member at The University of Western Ontario.
Citation Information
Charles Weijer. "Evolving Ethical Issues in Selection of Subjects for Clinical Research" Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics Vol. 5 Iss. 3 (1996)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/charlesweijer/29/