Ethical issues in modern medicine are of great concern and interest to all physicians and health-care providers throughout the world, as well as to the public at large. Jewish scholars and ethicists have discussed medical ethics throughout Jewish history.
"In addition, a number of the earlier chapters have been thoroughly revised in light of current developments. The book is an addition to the library of anyone who is concerned about the interaction between modern medicine and Jewish law in the twenty-first century."--BOOK JACKET.
Faced with infectious diseases, starvation, lack of medicines, lack of clean water, and safe sewage, Jewish physicians practiced medicine under severe conditions in the ghettos and concentration camps of the Holocaust. Despite the odds against them, physicians managed to supply public health education, enforce hygiene protocols, inspect buildings and latrines, enact quarantine, and perform triage. Many gave their lives to help fellow prisoners. Based on archival materials and featuring memoirs of Holocaust survivors, this volume offers a rich array of both tragic and inspiring studies of the sanctification of life as practiced by Jewish medical professionals. More than simply a medical story, these histories represent the finest exemplification of a humanist moral imperative during a dark hour of recent history.
This book discusses modern medical ethical dilemas from a specifically conservative Jewish point of view. The author includes issues such as artifical insemination, genetic engineering, cloning, surrogate motherhood, and birth control, as well as living wills, hospice care, euthanasia, organ donation, and autopsy.
"The premise of the Jewish attitude toward illness is that living is sacred, that good health enables us to live a fully religious life, and that disease is an evil. Any effective therapy is permitted, even if it conflicts with Jewish law. To bring about healing is a responsibility not only of the person who is ill and of the professional caregivers, but also of the loved ones, and of the larger circle of family, friends, and community." "Illness and Health in the Jewish Tradition is an anthology of traditional and modern Jewish writings that highlights these basic principles."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This booklet is designed to assist people observing traditional Jewish Law while undergoing medical treatment, especially in the complex and unfamiliar environment of a hospital. The strength of this work is its brevity, as it provides easy access to answers on numerous questions that can arise in a hospital-including proper observance of Shabbat, kashrut, festivals, and numerous other ritual observances-according to the Shulchan Aruch, and relies heavily on contemporary works such as Mishnah Berurah, Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchatah, and Nishmat Avraham. This collection is an indispensable resource for hospital chaplains (of any faith), and an essential guide for a rabbi involved in pastoral and communal affairs. Most of all, it is written with the layperson in mind, to quickly provide answers to many of the questions of observance that arise in a hospital.
Duty and Healing positions ethical issues commonly encountered in clinical situations within Jewish law. It looks at the role of the family, the question of informed consent and the responsibilities of caretakers.