医療や医学と、哲学や倫理や法学などとの間を、いかにして狭(せば)めるか(<特集>医学教育における哲学)  [in Japanese] Attempts to Link Medicine to Philosophy, Ethics and Law  [in Japanese]

Since the 19th century, the more that medicine has advanced, the more the distance between medicine and other specialties such as philosophy, ethics, and law has increased. When science and technology are subspecialized, the number of subspecialists with narrow views is very likely to increase. Medicine is not an exception. To narrow this distance between medicine and philosophy, ethics and law, many attempts and trials are in progress almost throughout the world, especially in advanced countries. Probably the most interesting among them is in the United States of America (USA). In the USA, with regard to clinical ethics and medicolegal problems, the development of a new srecialty or of a new job, independent both from patients and physicians, is in progress, and the number of new specialists has been increasing since the 1980s. One new specialty of this kind is called "ethics consultation", and its specialists are called "ethics consultants" or "clinical ethicists". An attempt toward in progress has been made in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture in Northern Japan, since 1991. An association named "Seminar Medicine and Community" was founded. The numbers was 300 in October, 1993. Of them, 174(58.0%) and 89(29.7%) consisted of physicians and comedical staff, respectively. The remaining 37(12.3%) are specialists in philosophy, ethics, law and so on. Meeting are held once every three months, for discussions on selected controversial topics and traditional basic problems relating to health care and medicine from interdisciplinary viewpoints. In addition we publish a journal (Journal of Health Care, Medicine and Community) every six months. Papers are published in Japanese with English abstracts. Papers either from inside or outside Japan by any author who does not belong to our association will be accepted if judged by the editorial board to be "distinguished"