Practical divinity and medical ethics: lawful versus unlawful medicine in the writings of William Perkins (1558-1602).

This article examines for the first time the theologically based medical ethics of the late sixteenth-century English Calvinist minister William Perkins. Although Perkins did not write a single focused book on the subject of medical ethics, he addressed a variety of moral issues in medicine in his numerous treatises on how laypeople should conduct themselves in their vocations and in all aspects of their daily lives. Perkins wrote on familiar issues such as the qualities of a good physician, the conduct of sick persons, the role of the minister in healing, and obligations in time of pestilence. His most significant contribution was his distinction between "lawful" and "unlawful" medicine, the latter category including both medical astrology and magic. Perkins's works reached a far greater audience in England and especially New England than did the treatises of contemporary secular medical ethics authors and his writings were influential in guiding the moral thinking of many pious medical practitioners and laypersons.

"Snake-oil," "quack medicine," and "industrially cultured organisms:" biovalue and the commercialization of human microbiome research.

BACKGROUND: Continued advances in human microbiome research and technologies raise a number of ethical, legal, and social challenges. These challenges are associated not only with the conduct of the research, but also with broader implications, such as the production and distribution of commercial products promising maintenance or restoration of good physical health and disease prevention. In this article, we document several ethical, legal, and social challenges associated with the commercialization of human microbiome research, focusing particularly on how this research is mobilized within economic markets for new public health uses. METHODS: We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews (2009-2010) with 63 scientists, researchers, and National Institutes of Health project leaders ("investigators") involved with human microbiome research. Interviews explored a range of ethical, legal, and social dimensions of human microbiome research, including investigators' perspectives on commercialization. Using thematic content analysis, we identified and analyzed emergent themes and patterns. RESULTS: Investigators discussed the commercialization of human microbiome research in terms of (1) commercialization, probiotics, and issues of safety, (2) public awareness of the benefits and risks of dietary supplements, and (3) regulation. CONCLUSION: The prevailing theme of ethical, legal, social concern focused on the need to find a balance between the marketplace, scientific research, and the public's health. The themes we identified are intended to serve as points for discussions about the relationship between scientific research and the manufacture and distribution of over-the-counter dietary supplements in the United States.

The Fickle finger of quackery in otology: the saga of Curtis H. Muncie, Osteopath.

OBJECTIVE: Throughout history, false and outrageous cures for deafness have been abundant. Most of these false remedies were short lived and did not gain much attention. However, Curtis H. Muncie, a New York osteopathic physician, accrued vast wealth and fame over a half century career (1910-1960) with his proclaimed cure of deafness through reconstruction of the Eustachian tube with his index finger. Through creative marketing, clever manipulation of the press, and outrageous claims of efficacy, he profited handsomely from what was, no doubt, the most egregious and remunerative instance of deafness quackery in 20th century otology. DATA SOURCES: A collection of original pamphlets issued by Curtis H. Muncie between 1921 and 1960 supplemented by articles from the popular press and both osteopathic and medical journals. RESULTS: The evidence that Dr. Muncie used unscientific methods and unscrupulous business practices is overwhelming. Famously, he fraudulently claimed in 1923 and for years thereafter that he had cured a congenitally deaf Spanish Prince (Don Jaime). At the height of the depression, his magical finger earned him over half a million dollars. Even his 1942 prison sentence for tax evasion did not keep him from resuming his flimflam upon his release. CONCLUSION: The story of Curtis H. Muncie is the quintessential example of how desperate patients can be exploited by an unscrupulous practitioner whose goal is satisfying his own avarice rather than curing illness.