A History and Theory of Informed Consent

"It ought to become a landmark synthesis in the literature of this important idea in bioethics and law."--Journal of the History of Medicine "A helpful and often authoritative account of informed consent that moves comfortably between empirical and philosophical approaches....An important work within [these] traditional areas."--American Political Science Review "Faden and Beauchamp's book ranks with the best....A fascinating and important history...a rigorous conceptual analysis."--New England Journal of Medicine "The only comprehensive treatment of a notion that has become increasingly important in a number of areas....Should be required reading for judges, medical professionals, policymakers, philosophers, and researchers in all fields that involve human subjects."--Choice. "A much-needed study of the history in America of the development and theory of informed consent. . . . Well worth reading." --Lineacre Quarterly "An up-to-date compendium of the history of medical, moral, and legal thinking about informed consent, topped off by a provocative and novel interpretation of the conceptual foundations of this important doctrine."--Journal of the American Medical Association "An exhaustive history of informed consent, both in the context of research and treatment...Lucid and informative."--Medical Humanities Review "Integrates disciplines, issues, perspectives, and time-frames into a thorough, multilayered analysis....The breadth of this work gives it richness and resonance."--Hastings Center Report "In addition to its substantive contribution and its excellent scholarship, A History and Theory of Informed Consent is remarkable for its organization, clarity, and logical exposition. It adds immensely to our capacity to think through the problems of informed consent in both its ethical and procedural senses."--Contemporary Psychology "A fair and balanced treatment of a subject that is often learned by example. It clearly sets forth the history of informed consent in legal and medical practices, providing the reader with a firm grounding in the principles that govern informed consent. Understanding these principles and the reasons behind them will not only help you deliver information more accurately to your patients, but it will also guide you in many decisions that you may have to make when discussing options with patients and their families. This is a lesson with the price of the book." --American Academy of Physician Assistants