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John Collins Warren and his act of conscience: a brief narrative of the trial and triumph of a great surgeon.

On examination of the correspondence among the principals involved, as well as the original patent application being prepared by Morton, it has become possible to reconstruct some of the remarkable details attending the first use of ether anesthesia at the Massachusetts General Hos pital in the autumn of 1846. At the time that Warren invited Morton to demonstrate the use of his "ethereal vapor" for anesthesia in a minor operation on Oct. 16, 1846, the exact chemical composition of the agent used was being held secret by Morton; Warren was clearly disturbed by this unethical use of a secret "nostrum." When the time arrived 3 weeks later for its possible use for a serious "capital" operation, Warren employed a simple stratagem of public confrontation to discover from Morton the true nature of the substance to be used. On being informed that it was pure unadulterated sulfuric ether, not some mysterious new discovery labeled "Letheon," Warren gave approval for its first use in a "capital" operation (low thigh amputation) on Nov. 7, 1846. Despite this revelation to the immediate participants, a veil of secrecy continued to surround the substance for many months, an anomalous situation evidently traceable to Morton's desire for personal reward from the discovery. It was this matter of secrecy, rather than priority for its discovery, that surrounded the early use of ether anesthesia with controversy and recrimination both in this country and abroad.

Anesthesia, Inhalation↗

Supporting whistleblowers in academic medicine: training and respecting the courage of professional conscience.

Conflicts between the ethical values of an organisation and the ethical values of the employees of that organisation can often lead to conflict. When the ethical values of the employee are considerably higher than those of the organisation the potential for catastrophic results is enormous. In recent years several high profile cases have exposed organisations with ethical weaknesses. Academic medical institutions have exhibited such weaknesses and when exposed their employees have almost invariably been vindicated by objective inquiry. The mechanisms that work to produce such low ethical standards in what should be exemplary organisations are well documented and have been highlighted recently. The contribution of elements of medical training in eroding ethical standards of medical students have also been emphasised recently and strategies proposed to reduce or reverse this process. The ability to rapidly change the ethical and professional culture of graduate medical trainees may help to deal with some of the perceived problems of declining ethical standards in academic medicine.

Academic Medical Centers↗

Linkworkers in antenatal care: facilitators of equal opportunities in health provision or salves for the management conscience?

A number of reports have highlighted non-English speaking Asian women as being at risk from limited health care provision (eg Whitehead, 1987). Of particular relevance to the present survey is their low uptake of antenatal care which may contribute to the above-average perinatal mortality rates for this group. In an attempt to ameliorate this problem, a Linkworker service was introduced in a number of multi-racial health districts. The survey reported here was an attempt to establish the efficacy of this service. From an initial sample of 30 health districts, 20 replies were obtained which provided some valuable insights on the current status of the Linkworker provision. In summary, the responses indicated that there is a worrying mis-match between client need and service planning, largely because relevant information about supply and demand is not collated. The net result is that many of the at-risk group are still denied the full and appropriate services of the Linkworker. It is concluded that if Linkworker provision is seen as a valuable commodity in enhancing equal opportunities in health care, then the service needs to be systematised. If it is perceived to be of little demonstrable value, then it should be scrapped. In either case, some clear policy decisions are required.

Asia↗