Abstract
Technological progress has in recent years transformed the limits of the possible in medical therapy. However, the elevated state of sophistication of modern medical technology has brought the economists’ classic problem of scarcity in its wake as an unfortunate side product. The enormously sophisticated and complex equipment and the highly trained teams of experts requisite for its utilization are scarce resources in relation to potential demand. The administrators of the great medical institutions that preside over these scarce resources thus come to be faced increasingly with the awesome choice: Whose life to save?
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Bibliography
S. Alexander. “They Decide Who Lives, Who Dies,” Life, LIII (November 9, 1962), 102-125.
C. Doyle. “Spare-Part Heart Surgeons Worried by Their Success,” Observer (London), May 12, 1968.
J. Fletcher. Morals and Medicine. London, 1955.
S. Gorovitz. “Ethics and the Allocation of Medical Resources,” Medical Research Engineering, V (1966), 5–7.
L. Lader. “Who Has the Right To Live?” Good Housekeeping (January, 1968), pp. 85 and 144-150.
J. D. N. Nabarro, F. M. Parsons, R. Shakman, and M. A. Wilson. “Selection of Patients for Haemodialysis,” British Medical Journal (March 11, 1967), pp. 622-624.
H. M. Schmeck, Jr. “Panel Holds Life-or-Death Vote in Allotting of Artificial Kidney,” New York Times, May 6, 1962, pp. 1, 83.
G. E. W. Wolstenholme and M. O’Connor (eds.). Ethics in Medical Progress. London, 1966.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1976 Plenum Press, New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rescher, N. (1976). The Allocation of Exotic Medical Lifesaving Therapy. In: Humber, J.M., Almeder, R.F. (eds) Biomedical Ethics and the Law. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-2223-8_32
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-2223-8_32
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-2225-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-2223-8
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive