Historical Perspectives of the Ethical Practice of Psychiatry

That subtle governing of the relations between physician and patient designated as medical ethics is, in the author's opinion, of the essence of medical practice. The ethical principles passed down from generation to generation of physicians are derived from the simultaneous pursuit of knowledge and love of one's fellow man. As such, they determine the nature of the art of medicine and cannot be altered or ignored lest the profession itself lose the qualities that have made it a noble art.