Throughout our lives, we are plagued by the notion of ‘ethics’ or morals - the basis of our everyday behavior. The medical field is no exception, with doctors constantly reminded of the ethical duties they must carry out for each of their patients. An example of unethical doctors is demonstrated in Daniel Keyes’s short story, Flowers for Algernon. The story features Charlie Gordon, a man with an intellectual disability who strives to become smarter. He is a candidate for a new surgical procedure that is used to triple one’s intelligence which was directed by Dr. Strauss and Dr. Nemur. Although the procedure holds promise for helping a vast amount of people, Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss acted unethically by selecting Charlie to undergo the operation because they did not finish testing the procedure and because Charlie was unable to make a proper decision. Algernon, a mouse that was one of the first successful animals to undergo the operation, had been studied by Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss, though they never concluded their studies - which makes their decision to experiment on Charlie unethical. Before experimenting on a human, it is common sense to finish testing to make sure that everything is safe and definite. In the essay, ‘Take Care: There’s More to Medical Ethics Than Absence of Harm’ Eric Kodish explains that “...as complex and complicated as issues are, doctors can help by asking themselves…: What do I need to do in order to take care of this person before me?”
In the story, Flowers for Algernon, Charlie Gordon makes a decision to allow doctors to do an operation on his brain to ¨make him smarter¨. Because of Charlie being mentally handicapped, I think that most of the decision making for Charlie was based on hopes and dreams, and not medical arguments, therefore nobody made the right decision.
The story Flowers For Algernon is about a man named Charlie. He has a low IQ of 68. He wants to be chosen to under go an experiment to make him smart. Ethics is what is right and wrong, mainly right. Charlie Gordon's doctors did not act ethically when they performed the sugary to make him smarter. They were unethical by not telling him the risks
All medical providers have a duty to protect the health and dignity of their patients. Even if that is the intention of the provider, specific ethical dilemmas in healthcare may arise making it difficult for the provider to make an ethically appropriate choice. Wit, directed by Mike Nichols, takes the viewer through the healthcare of Dr. Vivian Bearing, an English professor, as she embarks on an eight-month experimental treatment to hopefully cure her stage IV ovarian cancer. As Dr. Bearing undergoes this treatment, ethical issues arise regarding her healthcare that compromises her well-being and dignity. George D. Pozgar points out that ethics is concerned with values relating to human conduct that focuses on the rightness and wrongness of actions, as well as the goodness and badness of motives and ends.1 It is clear in the film that the actions taken by the medical providers, violated ethical principles within the scope of health care such as patient dignity and respect, patient autonomy, and consent to research/treatment.
The first step of the five steps to being ethical is to make an ethical decision to gather facts. Charlie's doctors did not gather enough facts before the operation. An example is when they gave Charlie the operation after they tested on animals, especially the mouse, Algernon. The problem for this is that after a while, Algernon, and all the other animals tested, was losing their intelligence. Soon after this happened, Charlie lost his own. The doctors should've waited after they tested on animals
This could be because in "Ethics in Medicine" by A.R. Jonsen one of the category's is to show respect for the patent. "Is the patient unwilling or unable to cooperate with medical treatment? If so, why?" Is one of the questions in the are you showing respect to the patent category, of the article by A.R. Jonsen. Charlie Gordans doctors in "Flowers For Algernon" were at first not going to use Charlie, but as stated in the March 4th-8th progress report they decided to use him because of his motivation. This could show that Charlie wanted to be smart so having the surgery honored his wishes, and therefore the doctors respected him. Although Charlies wishes were to be smart forever, not to be smart and then dumb. So the doctors still failed to be respectful and ethical towards
Doctors save many people's lives, they can make their lives even better than they are now. In the short story "Flowers for Algernon," by Daniel Keyes, Charlie Gordon performs an operation to make him a genius. Charlie Gordon is a mentally challenged 37 year old man, who is trying to become smart. Being mentally challenged has been hard for Charlie, but this is his chance to forever change his life. The experiment was an incredible thing for Charlie because he realized he is in love with Miss Kinnian, figured out the flaw in the experiment, and got the experience of what it is like to be smart.
It is important for doctors to think ethically about any situation that could effect their lives and the patients life. Because, Doctor Nemur and Strauss were not thinking anything about how much it would effect Charlie, and how much the operation would confuse or disorganize Charlie's mental health. It was also the doctors job to think ethically and wisely about testing an operation on a mentally retarded patient who only did the experiment to quickly become
Imagine being three times smarter than you already are through a simple, painless surgery, but there’s a catch. The effects of the surgery that can make you a genius could be temporary, and have not been studied and may be dangerous. Flowers for Algernon, a short story, describes a character who is intellectually disabled. He has to make a choice between having doctors conduct an experiment that involves surgery on him to make him three times smarter or staying the way he is. Charlie Gordon should not have the surgery because it is highly experimental and theoretical, as well as the negative social effects.
Charlie Gordon was an eager, hardworking man. He had a job and, a place to live. There was one thing "wrong" with him- he had a very low IQ score . He wanted nothing more then to be smart. What could be wrong with that? Charlie Gordon's doctors did not act ethically when they preformed the surgery to make him smarter. Ethics are rights, obligations and fairness. The are also based on ideas and what is right or wrong.
Charlie Gordon's doctors did not act ethically when they performed the experiment on him. They didn't follow most of the steps to ethical decision making. They also did not follow the Hippocratic Oath. Charlie's life was changed because of the doctors' uncaring. Ethics are important in the medical field, and Charlie's doctors did not act
In the movie The Doctor they showed positive professional and negative behaviors. Some of the positive professional things are that Dr. Mackee told his interns to not call someone terminal if they aren’t dying or are already dead. Dr. Mackee talks differently to his patients now that he knows that he has cancer. Dr. Mackee became friends with another cancer patient named June Ellis. Dr. Mackee helps a patient that had a stroke and that has a lisp caused by having the secure and that patient is suing his practice because he blames them for him having the secure but Dr. Mackee sees that he needs help so he goes and tells him that he will have someone come and get Mr. Richards keys out of his car and that Dr. Mackee will have them left at the front desk. Nurse Nancy finally sang when Dr. Mackee went in for his surgery to remove his tumor. Dr. Mackee finally spoke after his surgery and told his wife that he loves her and then they were happy because they didn’t know if he would be able to speak again after having the surgery because the tumor was located in his voice box and they risked losing his vocal cords.
In the modern world, patients expect their doctors to aid them and to support them. In the short story, “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes, Dr. Strauss and Dr. Nemur conducted an intelligence enhancement experiment on a man named, Charlie Gordon and changed his life. With an IQ of sixty-eight, the scientists altered him and tripled his IQ. However, this operation has not been ethical because the procedure was abstruse to Charlie, the doctors were rushing, and Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss were acting selfishly.
In conclusion, Person introduces two conflicting opinions of the main message, medical ethics. However, there is a bias towards Jenna’s initial view, and the opinions of Lily and Alleys. Overall, the author uses this book as a way of showing us the ever-more relevant debate of medical ethics, but wants us to make our own decision of what view to
The four principles of medical ethics include nonmaleficence, beneficence, autonomy, and justice. These principles were created by Beauchamp and James Childress because they felt these four were the building blocks of people’s morality. Nonmaleficence is to do no harm to others. Beneficence is to care or help others. Autonomy is to respect another’s wishes. These four principles relate to issues surrounding physician-assisted death in many ways. To begin, there are seven individual forms of PAD. They are the following; voluntary passive euthanasia, nonvoluntary passive euthanasia, involuntary passive euthanasia, voluntary active euthanasia, nonvoluntary active euthanasia, involuntary active euthanasia, and physician-assisted suicide. Passive euthanasia is an act in which the health care physician withholds treatment or surgery and the result is the patient’s death. An example of passive euthanasia is a cancer patient refusing treatment and the physician agrees with their decision, therefore the patient dies from the lack of intervention to treat their illness. Active euthanasia is an act in which the health care physician has a direct contact with the patient’s death due to the physician’s act of doing something to the patient in order for them to die. An example of active euthanasia is an injection of potassium chloride. Voluntary is when the patient is requesting assistance to die. Nonvoluntary is when the patient is not requesting assistance and their wishes are unknown
The two cases show that, although the doctors using different ethical approach, they may end up making the same