Homage to Henry Beecher (1904-1976).
The writings of Henry Beecher (1904-1976) have had an enormous influence on thinking and practice with respect to the ethics of medicine and clinical research. This essay examines the seminal contributions of Beecher as illustrated by four landmark articles concerning the ethics of clinical research, the placebo effect and placebo-controlled trials, the evaluation of invasive procedures, and "brain death" and vital organ transplantation. To appreciate Beecher's legacy, it is salutary to explicate the significance of his enduring contributions and to critically evaluate their limitations.
Department of Bioethics, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Room 1C118, Bethesda, MD 20892-1156, USA. fmiller@nih.gov
Franklin G
FG
Miller
D001926:Brain Death / Q000473:pathology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D026690:Ethics, Clinical / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006805:Human Experimentation / Q000941:ethics; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000941:ethics; D015990:Placebo Effect