Next book

THE HEALER'S POWER

Physician Brody, director of the Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences at Michigan State, offers new perspective on and fresh insights into medical ethics. Arguing that the central ethical problem in medicine is the responsible use of power, Brody draws on literary examples as well as the literature of medical ethics. In an unusual opening, he borrows freely from Dostoyevsky's chapter ``The Grand Inquisitor'' in The Brothers Karamazov to present the powerful ``Chief of Medicine'''s views on the proper use of the physician's power. Brody then contrasts this view with that provided by the healer known as ``Snake'' in Vonda McIntyre's short story ``Of Mist and Grass and Sand'' (reprinted in the appendix). Brody sees the physician's power as having three components: Aesculapian, based on knowledge of medicine; charismatic, based on the physician's personal qualities; and social, derived from the physician's status in society. His guidelines for responsible use of this power are that it be exercised to bring about a good outcome for patients; that physicians share power with their patients by informing them, in so far as patients wish, about the nature of their illness and the proposed treatment; and that physicians be sensitive to their patients' sense of powerlessness. Brody applies these guidelines to issues that commonly arise within medical ethics—informed consent, confidentiality, quality of life, etc.—and some less commonly discussed, such as the physician's income. Although his discussion is not comprehensive—ethical questions involving reproductive technology, brain death, medical research, and behavior control, for example, are not explored here—Brody offers a new conceptual framework for analyzing them. Erudite yet accessible: an excellent springboard for discussion of a compelling subject.

Pub Date: Feb. 19, 1992

ISBN: 0-300-05174-3

Page Count: 319

Publisher: Yale Univ.

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1991

Categories:
Next book

NUTCRACKER

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:
Next book

TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.

Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955

ISBN: 0670717797

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955

Categories:
Close Quickview