History and Theory of Human Experimentation: The Declaration of Helsinki and Modern Medical Ethics

Despite having been revised and criticised over the years, the Declaration of Helsinki remains one of the most important and internationally known ethics codes world-wide. Yet we know relatively little about its historical origins or about the prolonged revision process which accompanied this "living document". The chapters presented in this volume look at the history and theory of human experimentation, assess the role of the Declaration of Helsinki in an international context, and illustrate specific issues about the history and practice of research ethics through a number of case studies in the United States, Asia and Europe.