Jay Katz, M.D., is Elizabeth Dollard Professor Emeritus of Law, Medicine, and Psychiatry and Harvey L. Karp Professional Lecturer in Law and Psychoanalysis at Yale University. Alexander Morgan Capron, is University Professor, Henry W. Bruce Professor of Equity, Professor of Medicine, and the Co-Director of the Pacific Center for Health Policy and Ethics at the University of Southern California.

Contents: Foreword to the Johns Hopkins Edition: The Once and Future Silent World, by Alexander Morgan Capron Preface and Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter I. Physicians and Patients: A History of Silence Chapter II. Physicians and Citizens: The Struggle for Freedom from Lay Control Chapter III. Judges, Physicians, and Patients: The Legal Doctrine of Informed Consent Chapter IV. Sharing Authority: The Willingness to Trust Chapter V. Respecting Autonomy: The Struggle over Rights and Capacities Chapter VI. Respecting Autonomy: The Obligation for Conversation Chapter VII. Acknowledging Uncertainty: The Confrontation of Knowledge and Ignorance Chapter VIII. The Abandonment of Patients: A Final Argument against Silence Appendix A. Code of Ethics of the American Medical Association (1847) Appendix B. American Medical Association Principles of Medical Ethics (1980)NotesIndex

Historically, the doctor-patient relationship has been based on a one-way trust--despite recent judicial attempts to give patients a greater voice. Seeing a growing need for more honest and complete communication between physician and patient, Dr. Jay Katz advocates a new, informed dialogue that respects the rights and needs of both sides. A new Preface outlines changes since the book's publication in 1984.