Beyond Professional Self-Interest: Medical Ethics and the Disciplinary Function of the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom, 1858-1914

Maehle, Andreas-Holger

Abstract

Traditional historiography tends to draw a negative picture of British doctors’ ethics during the long nineteenth century. The medical professional ethics of this period have been described as self-serving and as a tool to monopolise the health care market. In this paper I attempt to challenge this rather one-sided view by looking into evidence for the practice of medical ethics, not just its normative texts. Focusing on the disciplinary function of the General Medical Council and discussing a variety of its cases, from fraudulent registration, sexual misconduct and breach of confidence to negligence, covering unqualified assistants and advertising, I argue that nineteenth-century medical ethics aimed at supporting the interests of patients and of the public at large as well as the reputation of the profession.

Citation

Maehle, A. (2020). Beyond Professional Self-Interest: Medical Ethics and the Disciplinary Function of the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom, 1858-1914. Social History of Medicine, 33(1), 41-56. https://doi.org/10.1093/shm/hky072

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 19, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Aug 17, 2018
• Publication Date: Feb 28, 2020
• Deposit Date: Jul 20, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 17, 2020
• Journal: Social History of Medicine
• Print ISSN: 0951-631X
• Electronic ISSN: 1477-4666
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 41-56
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/shm/hky072
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1353847