More Triumph Than Tragedy

THE storm about whether Lord Moran ought to have published a book recording his experiences as Churchill’s doctor has tended, at least in Britain, to overshadow the contents of the book itself. This is a pity, because the contents happen to be substantial and immensely readable.

The ethical question seems to me both more complex and less important than has been made out. Obviously, the principle stands: a doctor ought not to tell what he has learned in a confidential relationship with his patient. No less obviously, there are exceptions: if the patient has a contagious disease or shows clear signs of being a homicidal maniac, the doctor has a duty to other people; or if, after his patient’s death, the doctor is in a position to deny conclusively some disgraceful rumor about him— that he was an alcoholic, perhaps, or that he suffered from venereal disease —it is at least arguable that the doctor’s duty to the patient actually requires him to speak out. The principle, in other words, is breached at so many points that each case must be considered on its merits.

AL

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Anthony Lejeune

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THE storm about whether Lord Moran ought to have published a book recording his experiences as Churchill’s doctor has tended, at least in Britain, to overshadow the contents of the book itself. This is a pity, because the contents happen to be substantial and immensely readable.

The ethical question seems to me both more complex and less important than has been made out. Obviously, the principle stands: a doctor ought not to tell what he has learned in a confidential relationship with his patient. No less obviously, there are exceptions: if the patient has a contagious disease or shows clear signs of being a homicidal maniac, the doctor has a duty to other people; or if, after his patient’s death, the doctor is in a position to deny conclusively some disgraceful rumor about him— that he was an alcoholic, perhaps, or that he suffered from venereal disease —it is at least arguable that the doctor’s duty to the patient actually requires him to speak out. The principle, in other words, is breached at so many points that each case must be considered on its merits.