Bioethics and Medical Issues in Literature

Bioethics and Medical Issues in Literature, Second Edition

Many of the bioethical and medical issues challenging society today have been anticipated and addressed in literature ranging from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Albert Camus's The Plague, to Margaret Edson's Wit. The ten works of fiction explored in this book stimulate lively dialogue on topics like bioterrorism, cloning, organ transplants, obesity and heart disease, sexually transmitted diseases, and civil and human rights. This interdisciplinary and multicultural approach introducing literature across the curricula helps students master medical and bioethical concepts brought about by advances in science and technology, bringing philosophy into the world of science.

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Worthwhile addition for schools with an integrated curriculum.

– School Library Journal

Advances in science have brought with them their own unique ethical and medical dilemmas, bringing the discipline of philosophy directly into the world of science. Students from high school to pre-med receive a well-rounded introduction to literary references to bioethical questions, from the beings created by technology to illness and end of life issues. Topics for oral or written discussion accompany synopses of plots.

– MBR Bookwatch

This resource for high school teachers and librarians describes ten accessible works of fiction used to help students explore a number of contemporary issues in medicine and bioethics. The selections analyzed span two centuries, from Mary Shelley's romantic novel Frankenstein (1818) to Margaret Edson's play, Wit (1999). Supplemental materials include a glossary and chronology of key events in literature, medicine, and science.

– SciTech Book News

Of all the recent books on the subject of Medical Ethics, this is far and away the best for anyone interested in the way in which Medical Ethics and Literature are related to one another. The author has used a number of great works—fiction and nonfiction—to illustrate the theory and practice of Medical Ethics. Her book surely will be read by students and practitioners of medicine and literature. As one who has participated in both of these disciplines, I recommend it highly.

– Richard Selzer, M.D.

Besides Bioethics and Medical Issues in Literature, a medical humanities reference used worldwide, Dr. Stripling has published in many diverse journals and lectured widely.

“A Question of Mercy: Contrasting Current and Past Perspectives on Physician-Assisted Suicide.” Voices in Bioethics, an On-line

     Journal of Columbia University, 16 February 2015.

"The Surgeon Storyteller: A Last Interview with Richard Selzer.” Hektoen International: A Journal of Medical Humanities

     4.2 (Summer 2012).  Circulation 100,000.

“‘The Tending Act’—An Interview with Richard Selzer.” The Journal of Medical Humanities 17.3 (Fall 1996): 147-64. Reprint in

     Composition Studies 24.1-2 (1996).

“A Dialogic/Rhetorical Analysis of Richard Selzer’s ‘Smoking’ from Mortal Lessons.” Readerly/Writerly Texts 4.1 (1996): 105-

     18. Adapted for use in Yale English class.

Back by popular demand: "The Diagnostic Embrace," presented at the Western Social Science Association in San Diego, CA, on April 27, 2000.