A review of medical technology assessment and practice guidelines in the US is in AJPH 83 (1993), 1635-9. The affects of health care reform and professional liability in the US is debated in NEJM 329 (1993), 1733-6.

A study showing that the poor and uninsured patients are less likely to sue for malpractice in the USA is H.R. Burstin et al., "Do the poor sue more? A case-control study of malpractice claims and socioeconomic status", JAMA 270 (1993), 1697-1701, 1740-1. A view on malpractice liability and physician autonomy is in Lancet 342 (1993), 973-5. A medical study of 100 legal cases has suggested that doctors should consult their colleagues more, BMJ 307 (1993), 1483-7. The vagueness of the term "medical accidents" is debated in BMJ 307 (1993), 1438-9.

A court in the UK has ruled against giving compensation in a case of repetitive strain injury that was work related, Lancet 342 (1993), 1168; New Scientist (11 Sept, 1993), 24-6. A court ruling in Alabama in the US allows several exceptions for HIV testing without explicit informed consent, JAMA 270 (1993), 2530-1. Also on AIDS and the law, Lancet 342 (1993), 1040-1.

On January 21 the French Senate approved a revised Bioethics Law, covering issues of IVF, genetic screening and organ transplantation; Science 263 (1994), 463; Nature 367 (1994), 209. The bill has been delayed for a long time as scientists and ethicists and others, debated it and as politicians lost interest. The revised bill has upset some researchers, who don't like the idea of restrictions on research. The bill regulates organ transplants, and would prevent the use of IVF for post-menopausal women, single women and widows, allowing only couples who have been living together for at least two years (something that is not shocking to most bioethicists!). The restrictions on human embryo research are causing more concern, and even more is the ban on preimplantation diagnosis. The concerns about future eugenics may lead to a bill banning general genetic screening.

The delays in the European Bioethics Convention are discussed by one of the drafters, C. Byk, in BME (Dec 93), 23-4. The discussion of the convention continues behind closed doors at regular meetings of the Steering Committee on Bioethics, but is still not open to the public - perhaps having enough difficulties already in its limited debate forum. The problem of reaching agreement over some of the bioethical questions from 32 countries represented is understandable, but it has implications for broader international treaties/guidelines.

A review of G.J. Annas, The Rights of Patients: The Basic ACLU Guide to Patient Rights, 2nd Ed., (Totowa, NJ: Humana Press 1992) is in IDHL 44 (1993), 768-70. A review of G.J. Annas, Standard of Care: The Law of American Bioethics (NY: Oxford University Press, 1993, 291pp., US$25) is in NEJM 330 (1994), 295-6. The 1992 decree in Uruguay on medical conduct and patient rights is in IDHL 44 (1993), 632-6. General book reviews on medical law are in SSM 38 (1994), 768; JAMA 271 (1994), 156-7. In the UK the House of Lords' Select Committee is soon to publish its final report and draft Bill on decision-making and incapacitated adults, as followup to the Bland case; Dispatches 4(2), (1993) 1.

More comment on the need for a US national bioethics commission is in G.J. Annas, "Will the real bioethics (commission) please stand up?", HCR 24(1) (1993), 19-21; A.M. Capron, "is it time to clone a bioethics commission?", HCR 24(1) (1993), 29-30. They build on the OTA report of 1993. A series of papers on bioethics and public policy is in Politics & Life Science 13 (Feb 1994),77-106. They debate the need for a commission, and where it is best to be placed. It includes a paper by D. Macer, "Bioethics may transform public policy in Japan", Politics & Life Science 13 (Feb 1994),89-90.

The progress of the French bioethics law is discussed in BMJ 308 (1994), 291. Requirements for expert witnesses are likely to increase even more in the future, New Scientist (5 Feb 1994), 41. Medical negligence is discussed in Lancet 343 (1994), 484. Also, see the AIDS section above for recent court decisions. Book reviews are in JAMA 271 (1994), 476-7, 795.

A report on the UNESCO Bioethics Committee has also appeared in HCR 24(2): 3-4. There has been a change at the top of the Council of Europe Bioethics body, which could change policy, Lancet 343 (1994), 970. A Declaration on the Promotion of Human Rights has been agreed by 36 European countries, BMJ 308 (1994), 997. The new French bioethics law was discussed in the reproductive technology section above, it covers other issues too, Nature 369 (1994), 599. Belgium established a consultative committee on bioethics in 1993, and the law is in IDHL 45: 47-8. A short letter on the Vatican bioethics committee is Nature 368 (1994), 352.

Scientific evidence in court and the death of the Frye Rule is reviewed by G.J. Annas in NEJM 330 (1994), 1018-21; and on asking the courts to set the standard of emergency care and the Baby K case, NEJM 330 (1994), 1542-5. On the Daubert v. Merrel Row case, JAMA 271 (1994), 1578. A book review on American medical law is IDHL 45: 134-6; and a review on abortion protest law is JAMA 271 (1994), 1679-80.

A study of what doctors and patients do when they disagree is Arch. Fam. Med. 3: 125-9; JRSM 87 (1994), 363-4. On malpractice, NEJM 330 (1994), 1236-7; BMJ 308 (1994), 985, 1377. A New Zealander has been convicted for manslaughter following a mistaken drug deliver, Lancet 343 (1994), 1091; and on another manslaughter case, BMJ 308 (1994), 1187. On environmental cause of disease, Lancet 343 (1994), 1092.

The Council of Europe Bioethics Convention is open for public debate. A copy is in BME 99 (July 1994), 19-24. Copies of the complete draft are available from the Directorate of Legal Affairs, Conseil de l'Europe, F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex, France. There are brief reports elsewhere, Nature 370 (1994), 3; BMJ 308 (1994), 1662, 309: 221; Lancet 344 (1994), 117-8. The draft Bioethics Convention was approved by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 2 Feb. 1995 The text was made softer, for example to delete reference to embryo research which Germany opposed. There are still 20 amendments which need to be considered by ministerial committees. If no consensus is found, a further vote would be needed, later in 1995; Lancet 345 (1995), 311; Nature 373 (1995), 466.

The Norwegian government has passed a new law, discussed above in the section on reproductive technologies, which also regulates gene therapy and genetic screening. The US Office of Science and Technology Policy is preparing to announce the establishment of a US National Bioethics Advisory Commission, Science 265 (1994), 595.

A letter noting the Finnish Act on Status and Rights of Patients, a law defining patient rights from 1993, is BMJ 309 (1994), 130-1. French bioethics laws are discussed in Lancet 344 (1994), 48. Bioethics and the life sciences are discussed in HCR 24(3) (1994),42-4, and bioethics and legal language in HCR 24(4) (1994), 16-22. The Int. Digest of Health Legislation 1980-1993 is now available on CD-ROM, from Vista InterMedia, 1177 High Ridge Rd, Stamford, CT 06905, USA.

See the section on drug risks above to see the suspension of a major Japanese drug company under Japanese law, for failing to report deaths from clinical trials. Some major pharmaceutical companies have started 24 hour hotlines to give information on their drugs to consumers, Yomiuri Shimbun (25 Aug 1994), 9. In the USA there have been deaths in a trial of fialuridine, which has resulted in legal action, Lancet 343 (1994), 1494-5.

A UK doctor who admitted to changing medical records to try to cover up the reason of death of one of his patient's has been sentenced to 6 months prison, Lancet 344 (1994), 256. On the UK informal complaints procedure, BMJ 308 (1994), 1546-8; and on suing doctors, C. Vincent et al., "Why do people sue doctors? A study of patients and relatives taking legal action", Lancet 343 (1994), 1609-13, 1582-3; 344: 268-9. In the UK study, 70% were seriously affected by the incidences, and only 15% considered the explanations as satisfactory. Accident compensation in New Zealand is in Lancet 344 (1994), 182.

A new book is Carol A.G. Jones, Expert Witnesses. Science, Medicine, and the Practice of Law, Oxford University Press 1994. A paper is D. Nelkin, "After Daubert: The relevance and reliability of genetic information", Cardozo law Review 15: 2119-28.

The Office of Science and Technology in the USA has called for comments on a National Bioethics Advisory Commission proposed Charter, Federal Register 59 (155), 12 August, 41584-6.

A summary of 1993 additions to the statements of the World medical Association (including human rights, female genital mutilation, safety in the workplace, body searches of prisoners,and sports medicine are in IDHL 45: 241-5. Child abuse experts are discussed in Lancet 344 (1994), 810. The 800th anniversary of coroners is 1994; Lancet 344 (1994), 799-800.

Malpractice is discussed in Mehlman, M.J. "Bad "bad baby" bills", AJLM XX (1994), 129-45; Zylstra, S. et al. "A statistical model for predicting the outcome in breast cancer malpractice lawsuits", O&G 84 (1994), 392-8. New Zealand and Australian negligence laws are discussed in Lancet 344 (1994), 478-9; and the British compensation system is estimated to be £52.3 million for England in 1990-1, in BMJ 309 (1994), 389-91. In Japan in 1993, there were 440 malpractice cases went to court In the last 5 years about 360 cases a year, and currently there are 1900 cases in the courts, and about one third are won to some degree by the claimant, Yomiuri Shimbun (28 Oct 1994), 22.

A book review of Mohr, J.C. Doctors and the Law: Medical Jurisprudence in Nineteenth Century America, (Oxford University Press, 1993, 319pp., US$30) is in SSM 39 (1994), 879-80. A series of papers on malpractice, and health care costs are in AJLM XX (1994), 1-220. UK law on right of access to medical records continues to allow exceptions if the disclosure would be detrimental to the patient, Lancet 344 (1994), 743.

The World Medical Association Statement on Medical Ethics in the Event of a Disaster is in BME 102 (Oct 1994), 9-11; and the amended Declaration of Geneva from the 1994 Stockholm meeting is BME (Sept), 3-5; together with WMA statements on human rights.For general laws, and on UN Commission on Human Rights resolutions see IDHL 45 (1994), 405-10. European Consultation on the Rights of Patients are in IDHL 45 (1994), 410-9.

An English translation of the main parts of the French bioethics laws is BME 101 (Sept 1994), 11-3. The revision of the Canadian Code of Ethics is discussed in CMAJ 151 (1994), 209-10. A Canadian Supreme Court case about consent when an investigation is interrupted is Lancet 344 (1994), 1079.

Disciplinary hearings in Canada are discussed in CMAJ 151 (1994), 460-2; and in the UK, CMAJ 151 (1994), 465-6; BMJ 309 (1994), 1251- 2.Procedural guidelines are upheld in a UK law case against other courts decisions, Lancet 344 (1994), 1290. The Australian government is considering government control on surgeons, Lancet 344 (1994), 1286.

A New Brunswick, Canada, case on 16 year old Jehovah's Witness who was able to refuse blood transfusions through various court cases is discussed in CMAJ 151 (1994), 625-8. Also on patient rights, CMAJ 151 (1994), 529-33. Legal issues in postmortems in Australia are discussed in MJA 161 (1994), 366-8, 635.

A study in Florida found no link between past malpractice claims and technical competence, Entman, S.S. et al. "The relationship between malpractice claims history and subsequent obstetric care", JAMA 272 (1994), 1588-91; but past claims predict future ones, Bovbjerg, R.R. et al. "The relationship between physicians' malpractice claims history and later claims", JAMA 272 (1994), 1421-6, 1453-4. However, doctors who are sued more often are likely to be the subject of more complaints in general, Hickson, G.B. et al. "Obstetricians' prior malpractice experience and patients' satisfaction with care", JAMA 272 (1994), 1583-7. Basically the conclusion is doctors are sued for uninterest, BMJ 309 (1994), 1461. Also on negligence, BMJ 309 (1994), 1094.

Some French doctors have criticised the French laws for not recognising the legal status of embryos, BMJ 309 (1994), 1534.

The New Zealand Minister of Health violated privacy of patient records in a television debate, and has rightly been criticised, Lancet 345 (1995), 310-1. On changes in NZ medical complaints procedures, Lancet 344 (1994), 1629. A new book of legal interest is Michael, J. Privacy and Human Rights. An International and Comparative Study, with special references to developments in Information Technology. (Dartmouth, UNESCO Publishing, 1994, 194pp.).

Defensive medicine is discussed in BMJ 310 (1995), 27-9. A judge reinstated a medical negligence claim 28 years after the accident in a UK case, BMJ 310 (1995), 80. A New Zealand child-molesting doctor has been named, in efforts to find affected persons, BMJ 310 (1995), 81-2. Also on medicine and law, Leape, L.L. "Error in medicine", JAMA 272 (1994), 1851-7, 1867-8; BMJ 309 (1994), 1589; Lancet 344 (1994), 1697-8; 345: 314.

The Red Cross is attempting to outlaw weapons which are designed to blind people (lasers), Lancet 344 (1994), 1649-50.

The use of scientific evidence in courts is discussed in a book review in Nature 373 (1995), 115; Science 266 (1994), 1787. The bendectin birth defects case has been dismissed, Science 267 (1995), 167.

The US National Science and Technology Council has approved the formation of a National Biomedical Ethics Advisory Committee, following several years of calls for it, Nature 374 (1995), 202.

A description of the expected New Zealand Code of health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights is in Otago Bioethics Report 4: 11-3. Papers on patient rights are in European J. Health Law 1 (1994), 127-60. On the rights of native persons, Scientific American (March 1995), 115; Time (20 March), 45; and the discussion of the Ainu rights agreement in Japan is still having many difficulties, Japan Times (30 March 1995), 3.

The Bolam test of information sharing that a doctor would normally share is debated in Lancet 345 (1995), 575; and why Australian courts rejected it, JME 21 (1995), 5-8.

Papers on recent trends in health law and bioethics are in AJLM XX (1994), 395-416; and teaching bioethics and health law,AJLM XX (1994), 417-438; 439-456. Another journal of potential interest is Health and Human Rights, which is quarterly, contact: Harvard School of Public Health, 8 Story Street, 5th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. Also on human rights see Human Rights Quarterly 16 (1994), 753-6; European J. Health Law 1: 265-78, 279-92.

The question of universality is debated in Cerna, C.M. "Universality of human rights and cultural diversity: Implementation of human rights in different socio-cultural contexts", Human Rights Quarterly 16 (1994), 740-52.

In Japan, a judge awarded damages of 5.5 million yen against Keio University for misdiagnosing appendicitis, which resulted in the patient being given pain-killers, discharged, and 10 hours later he died; Asahi Shimbun (24 March 1995), 38. The issue of hospital mistakes became critical for a Tampa, Florida hospital, after they had their license to use MedicAid payments questioned, after two recent mistakes (cutting the wrong leg off someone, and turning the wrong respirator off resulting in death!). The general issue is discussed in Time (3 April), 43.

The legal system should be improved, e.g. videos etc., for cases of sexually abused children in Australia, MJA 162 (1995), 126-8. Ethical issues in law libraries are the subject of a paper, Fox, E.H. "Ethical issues in the law library", Legal Information Management Reports 6 (Fall, 1994), 1-12.

The UNESCO Bioethics Committee meeting was discussed in the editorial. The draft genome declaration is being revised, and will be discussed over the next few years. It will be reproduced in a later issue of the Eubios Journal. A comment is in Nature 371 (1994), 369. Another review of the UNESCO Bioethics Committee meeting is in EBN 186 (1994)1-2; GenEthics News 3 (1994), 9; and an introduction to it in IJB 5 (1994), 174-7. On the general functions of UNESCO, Science 265 (1994), 1047-8.

The Council of Europe Bioethics Convention is being held up by German opposition to the ambiguous text, Nature 371 (1994), 643. The Germans want more restrictions placed in the convention. In January 1995 we should expect debate on the European Bioethics Convention, Lancet 344 (1994), 1080. Further comments on the endorsement of the European Bioethics Convention is in Lancet 345 (1995), 377. It notes the exclusion of a comment on embryo research.

The Council of Europe Bioethics Convention is discussed in BME 106 (1995), 6-7; 107 (1995), 5-6; Lancet 345 (1995), 916. War crimes are discussed, Time (22 May 1995), 16-23.

The Doctor at the centre of the French HIV case, J.P. Allain is now a professor of transfusion medicine at the Dept. Hematology in University of Cambridge, but is banned from entering the hospital; BMJ 310 (1995), 690. Also in Cambridge, a decision not to fund further treatment of a dying girl was upheld in the court of appeal, Lancet 345 (1995), 717; BMJ 310 (1995), 687.

Medical mistakes are discussed in Lancet 345 (1995), 778-9, 871-2; BMJ 310 (1995), 888-9. On US malpractice law, Lancet 345 (1995), 716. The entire Swedish MRC board was dismissed on malpractice grounds, Nature 375 (1995), 7. Dealing with malpractice, MJA 162 (1995), 453-4. On Law and Science, AJHG 56 (1995), 1010-1.

The US government has apologised for radiation tests, BMJ 311 (1995), 970; JAMA 274 (1995), 865, 958-9, 33; Nature 377 (1995), 374, 470. There is some call for study of the health effects of the persons involved. In February 1995, the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Human Radiation Experiments published Human Radiation Experiments: The Department of Energy Roadmap to the Story and the Records ("The DOE Roadmap"). In August, Human Radiation Experiments Associated with the U.S. Department of Energy and its Predecessors ("The Experiments List") is a supplement to the Roadmap, as well as a continuation of the Secretary's openness initiative. Along with methodological and historical descriptions, topical discussions, and records series descriptions, the Roadmap included summaries of approximately 150 human radiation experiments associated with DOE and its predecessors. Those summaries are included here, along with summaries of over 275 additional studies that have since been identified, documented, and confirmed. Taken together, these summaries describe a wide range of activities from the early 1940s through the early 1970s. The intent is to be as inclusive as possible in identifying human radiation research projects associated with the Department and its predecessors.

The Final Report of the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments (stock number 061-000-00-848-9), the supplemental volumes to the Final Report (stock numbers 061-000-00850-1, 061-000-00851-9, and 061-000-00852-7), and additional copies of this Executive Summary (stock number 061-000-00849-7) may be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Superintendent of Documents U.S. Government Printing Office P.O. Box 371954 Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954, USA. An Internet site containing ACHRE information (replicating the Advisory Committee's original gopher) will be available at George Washington University. The site contains complete records of Advisory Committee actions as approved; complete descriptions of the primary research materials discovered and analyzed; complete descriptions of the print and non-print secondary resources used by the Advisory Committee; a copy of the Interim Report of October 21, 1994, and other information. The address is http://www.seas.gwu.edu/nsarchive/radiation. The site will be maintained by the National Security Archive at GWU.

New UK GMC guidelines have been released,BMJ 311 (1995), 973. A paper arguing that the General Council should remain CMA's ultimate authority is, CMAJ 153 (1995), 978-979. On October 6, 1995 the federal Minister of Justice, Allan Rock, introduced legislation in the House of Commons to create a new Law Commission of Canada. It will replace the Law Reform Commission of Canada, which was terminated by the previous government in 1992. Canadian Bioethics Report (October 1995); see also, Charland LC, & Dick PT, "Should compassion be included in codes of ethics for physicians?" Annals RCPSC 2 (1995), 415-418

On wrongful death, Lancet 346 (1995), 624; NEJM 333 (1995), 527-31. A paper reviewing tort law in Japan is Tejima, Y. "Tort and compensation in Japan: Medical malpractice and adverse effects from pharmaceuticals", Univ. Hawaii Law Review 15 (1993), 723-35. Medical malpractice reform is discussed in AJLM XXI (1995), 281-300; and on medical mistakes, Lancet 346 (1995), 720.

France has adopted a new 114 article medical code, BMJ 311 (1995), 769-70. New Zealand has a draft code of patient rights, includes ten rights with all having an exception, "if it is not reasonably practicable due to resource constraints to give effect to the right", Lancet 346 (1995), 496. On the World Medical Association's reconsideration of patient rights, BMJ 311 (1995), 709. On Managing erotic feelings in the physician-patient relationship, CMAJ 153 (1995), 1241-8.

The US Dept. of Energy has issued a report suggesting there were 435 radiation experiments carried out on about 16,000 persons between 1946 and 1974; Nature 376 (1995), 627. The UK MRC has rejected a call for a UK inquiry into radiation tests, Nature 376 (1995), 107. A case of radioactive contamination at a NIH lab may be misconduct, or deliberate poisoning, Science 269 (1995), 483.On the history of atomic bombs see the environmental issues, and drug risks sections above. Also see more on scientific responsibility issues in: Nature 376 (1995), 303-4, 371-2, 382-4; 475-6; SA (August 1995), 27-8, 42-6; JAMA 274 (1995), 413-6, 416-9, 430-1; Science 268 (1995), 1201-2; Newsweek (24 July), 40-7; (24 August, 1995), 20-49.

The revised text from the World Medical Association on the rights of a patient, Revised Declaration of Lisbon on the Rights of the Patient are in BME 114 (1996), 8-10. In Canada the Ontario government has proposed a law allowing inspection of patient records to check for medical fraud cases, Lancet 346 (1995), 1618; see also Lancet 347 (1996), 137-8. Doctors are against this, and in Israel doctors are also complaining against a recent Supreme Court case in which allowed doctor's testimony during internal investigations to be used against them, Lancet 346 (1995), 1700. In India doctors are also upset over the Supreme Court's decision that doctors services fall under the Consumer Protection Act, Nature Medicine 2 (1996), 12. Also on law, NEJM 334 (1996), 196.

Anew concept of Extreme Risk may be offered for legal insurance for doctors in the USA, NEJM 334 (1996), 1706-7. On Australian indemnity cover, Lancet 347 (1996), 256.

A UK legal decision has made death from antenatal injury possible to try as murder, Lancet 347 (1996), 1622. It follows an attack on a pregnant woman. In the UK the High Court has allowed an NHS Trust to discipline doctors who failed to treat a child, even though the Trust was not their employer at the time of the neglect. A claim that the French National Bioethics Consultative Committee has led to less public debate on bioethics by hijacking the authority in ethics is in a book, Lazar, Philippe, L'Ethique biomedicale en question, eds. Lianna Levi, Paris 1996; reviewed in Nature 379 (1996), 289.

Discussion of the proposals for a Human Genetics Commission in the UK are in BME 113 (1995), 3-4.

Background to the Council of Europe Bioethics Convention is in IJB 6 (1995), 190-229. There will be a further meeting on the wording of the Convention on 26 Feb, 1996; Lancet 346 (1995), 1482. Clinical guidelines and the law are discussed in BMJ 311 (1995), 1517-8. The Indian supreme court has upheld patient rights, Lancet 346 (1995), 1418; and said that doctors may be tried for malpractice in consumer courts, BMJ 311 (1995), 1385-6. A UK case involving 3 doctors before the GMC has found them not guilty of lack of consent, BMJ 311 (1995), 1245-6. The GMC has been given more power against incompetent doctors, Lancet 346 (1995), 1355. Another paper reporting the US apology over radiation experiments is Nature Medicine 1 (1995), 1112; NS (14 Oct 1995), 8.

In Australia there is discussion of the proposed new physicians code of ethics; Weekend Australian (6-7 Jan, 1995), 16. Malpractice is discussed in BMJ 311 (1995), 1250, 1445; Modern Law Review 58 (1995), 914-5; Public Health Reports 110 (1995), 357-60; Nature Medicine 1 (1995), 962. The AMA has called for doctors to put patients before profits, Nature Medicine 1 (1995), 730; and on defensive medicine and obstetrics, JAMA 274 (1995), 1606-10.

Compensation of patients injured in clinical trials is discussed in JME 21 (1995), 166-9. The Japanese Supreme Court has decided after 20 years that the government is not culpable in a chloroquine medical law suit, Nature Medicine 1 (1995), 732. A view of French bioethics law is Nudeshima, J. "French bioethics legislation viewed from Japan", IJB 6 (1995), No.3.

A call for the US Air Force to disclose all information on radiation tests it performed is NS (10 Feb 1996), 5. On background to the new US bioethics commission, HCR 26 (1996), 5. A discussion of informed consent for neonate clinical trials is Lancet 347 (1996), 475; and on the FDA rules to allow emergency care without consent, Lancet 347 (1996), 475-6; JAMA 275 (1996), 347. A book review is BMJ 312 (1996), 786; also see BMJ 312 (1996), 847. For children, BMJ 312 (1996), 794. A USA study finds that often interpreters are not used, and not trained, even if available and perceived to be needed by patients, JAMA 275 (1996), 783-8. On informed consent in Mexico, Rev. Invest. Clin. 47 (1995), 399-404; abstract in JAMA 275 (1996), 894m.

The text of the amended UK Medical (Professional Performance) Act 1995 is reproduced in BME 116 (1996), 7. It gives more power to the General Medical Council. Barriers to the exercise of patient rights are reviewed in NEJM 334 (1996), 532-4.

Hospital liability in Canada is discussed in Health Law Review 4 (2, 1995/1996), 12-25. Individual medical liability is discussed in MJA 164 (1996), 178-82; JAMA 275 (1996), 406. A UK surgeon who was called Dr Doolittle by the UK newspaper Daily Mirror has been awarded 625000 pounds in libel damages, BMJ 312 (1996), 527. War crimes indictments are given in Lancet 347 (1996), 672-3; and on weapons, Lancet 347 (1996), 450-1. The responsibility of leaders to know about science is discussed in Biotechnology 13 (1995), 1032.

After much delay, the Council of Europe has published the second version of its declaration, Convention on human rights and biomedicine, June 1996. It is open for comment and will go to the Parliament and Council of Ministers. For comment see Nature 381 (1996), 545.

On medical malpractice causing increased medical costs in Canada, Dispatches 6 (No. 2, Spring 1996), 4-5. A call to define what is seriously deficient professional performance is in BMJ 312 (1996), 1180-1. On Canadian informed consent law, Health Law Review 4 (No. 3, 1996), 17-22. Several papers on French bioethics laws in English and French are in IJB 7 (1996), 3-31. A comment on the third session of UNESCO IBC is in IDHL 47 (1996), 107-8.

A review of the Australian professional indemnity review is MJA 164 (1996), 371-4, 502-4; and on the extent to which adverse events are reported, MJA 164 (1996), 458-61. The main objectives of the NHS complaints procedure are reproduced in BME 118 (1996), 8-11. A series of papers on the theme "Government and bureaucratic bioethics: Addressing moral issues in the service of ideology", are in J.Med.&Phil. 21 (April 1996), 113-235.

The Center for International Legal Studies is on-line with some material relevant to medicine, .

On 4 June the Council of Europe Bioethics Convention drafting committee agreed to the words of a Convention. The European Parliament, which includes 15 of the 39 nations of the Council of Europe organized a debate on the Convention and found there was division , and a report from the Legal Committee was not adopted by a vote of 197 votes to 192; Lancet 347 (1996), 1686, 348 (1996), 53, 330; Nature 382 (1996), 292. The controversial issue included substituted consent, which Germans oppose.

On UNESCO International Bioethics Committee (set to meet 1-4 October in Paris), Odyssey 1 (No.4, 1995), 52-7. The US bioethics committee is chaired by the president of Princeton University, Harold Shapiro, Science 273 (1996), 583. Other new publications include, Amnesty International, Prescription for Change: Health Professionals and the Exposure of Human Rights Violations, London, 46pp., ACT 75/01/96.

In Australia, a court has found that a general practitioner is legally bound to render assistance to a stranger, MJA 165 (1996), 159-61. In New Zealand a 12 year old girl has been legally forced to undergo chemotherapy considering it has a good chance to save her life from leukemia, against her parent's religious reasons; NZ Herald (1 August 1996), 1.

On medical malpractice, NEJM 335 (1996), 139-40; and liability, AJPH 86 (1996), 863-9; J. Health Politics, Policy & Law (1996), 153-8. A code of conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in disaster relief is reproduced in Nursing Ethics 3 (1996), 268-74. On trends in law and medicine, JAMA 275 (1996), 1817-9.

The UNESCO International Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights was considered in October at UNESCO by the International Bioethics Committee (IBC). There are still some changes desired, and a Legal Commission meeting will be held in mid-December in UNESCO, and then the revised text will be considered by governments until the following Sept 1997 session of the IBC. The updated version of the Declaration will be posted on the Internet site when it is known. There have been other calls for international standards in genetics and ethics, at the International Congress of Human Genetics, Lancet 348 (1996), 607.

On the US National Bioethics Commission, Nature Biotechnology 14 (1996), 927, 1069-70; and the executive order 12975 is in IDHL 47 (1996), 355-7. One of the first tasks may be a review of local review boards, Nature 383 (1996), 466. A review of the expanding scope of US state laws in health care is JAMA 276 (1996), 1065-70. A consultative Bioethics Committee has been established in Belgium, IDHL 47 (1996), 409-10.

On 26 September 1996 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe approved the Bioethics Convention, saying it should be open for signature by the end of 1996, Lancet 348 (1996), 953. A review of Council of Europe activities in 1994 is IDHL 47 (1996), 405-9. Israel has passed a law to protect patient rights, Lancet 348 (1996), 884. On the role of ethics advisory boards in self-regulation, Human Reproduction 11 (1996), 1595-6.

A book review of Medical Blunders. Amazing True Stories of Mad, Bad and Dangerous Doctors, and Wrongful Death: A Medical Tragedy, is BMJ 313 (1996), 1019-20. A paper on the Canadian situation with malpractice and liability is AJLM XXII (1996), 7-50; and on the Canadian code of ethics, CMAJ 155 (1996), 314-5. Medical accountability in New Zealand with international comparisons is made in Health Care Analysis 4 (1996), 45-64. A discussion, on bad medicine at John Hopkins is in City Paper (28 August 1996), 17-23. A photo of a tombstone with a malpractice claim from 1788 in the USA is in Lancet 348 (1996), 902.

On the use of scientific evidence in court cases, Modern Law Review 59 (1996), 747-60.

On the European Bioethics Convention (see last issue), Lancet 348 (1996), 1441. A review of the Canadian Health Act and health law is in 3 papers in Health Law Journal 4 (1996), 1-86.

Many scientists in Canada who do research with human subjects have complained against the proposed new ethics code, which is available on the Internet . The drafting committee received about 260 letters, and a second draft is expected to be ready in spring 1997; Science 274 (1996), 1604. Under the new guidelines, research ethics boards would review not just the ethics but the "scientific validity" of proposed studies with human subjects. The Medical Research Council, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council are developing the code.

A survey of physicians views of practice guidelines in Italy is SSM 43 (1996), 1283-7. On practice guidelines, Lancet 348 (1996), 1005-6. A book review of M Angell, Science on Trial: The Clash of Medical Evidence and the Law in the Breast Implant Case (W W Norton, 1997, 256pp, ISBN 0-393-03973-0, £22) is in BMJ 313 (1996), 1341. On legal aspects of occupational disease, BMJ 313 (1996), 1136-40. Also on medical law, Nature 383 (1996), 783-5; Australian Law Journal 70 (1996), 688-722, 723-46.

The US Bioethics Advisory Commission held the first meeting in November, 1996, to define the governing principles of ethical research. Two issues were protection for human subjects who participate in biomedical and behavioral research and determining the appropriate use of genetic testing. Officially, the commission terminates in October 1997. But, said its chair, Harold T. Shapiro, "We're behaving as if the commission will go on for 4 or 5 years. Certainly we are designing our work for a longer horizon than 1 year." Shapiro is president of Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, JAMA 276 (27 Nov 1996); Nature Biotechnology 14 (1996), 1533.

Nuremberg War Trial 50 years Anniversary

There have been a number of papers remembering the Nuremberg War Trials, (see also conference announcement on the Freiburg Project). The papers include: Barondess, JA., "Medicine Against Society: Lessons From the Third Reich", JAMA 276 (1996), 1657-61. It describes increasing efforts to examine the history of German medicine under National Socialism. Katz, J. "The Nuremberg Code and the Nuremberg Trial. A Reappraisal", JAMA 276 (1996), 1662-6. The Nuremberg Code includes 10 principles to guide physician-investigators in experiments involving human subjects. The US judges who presided over the proceedings did not intend the Code to apply only to the case before them, but to the practice of human experimentation whenever it is conducted.

Faden RR. et al. "US Medical Researchers, the Nuremberg Doctors Trial, and the Nuremberg Code. A Review of Findings of the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments", JAMA 276 (1996), 1667-71. Based on the evidence from Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments (ACHRE), Ethics Oral History Project and extensive archival research, they conclude that the Code, at the time it was promulgated, had little effect on mainstream medical researchers engaged in human subjects research. Although some clinical investigators raised questions about the conduct of research involving human beings, the medical profession did not pursue this issue until the 1960s.

Also, Harkness, JM. "Nuremberg and the Issue of War time Experiments on US Prisoners. The Green Committee", JAMA 276 (1996), 1672-5; Sidel, VW., "The Social Responsibilities of Health Professionals: Lessons From Their Role in Nazi Germany", JAMA 276 (1996), 1679+; Grodin, MA. & Annas, GJ. "Legacies of Nuremberg: Medical Ethics and Human Rights", JAMA 276 (1996), 1680+.

War crimes and medical science are discussed in BMJ 313 (1996), 1413-6; Voflmann, J. & Winau, R. "Informed consent in human experimentation before the Nuremberg code", BMJ 313 (1996), 1445-9; Proctor, RN. "The anti-tobacco campaign of the Nazis: a little known aspect of public health in Germany, 1933-45", pp. 1450-2; Hanauske-Abel, HM. "Not a slippery slope or sudden subversion: German medicine and National Socialism in 1933", pp. 1453-63; Seidelman, WE., "Nuremberg lamentation: for the forgotten victims of medical science", pp.1463-7; Weindling, P. "Human guinea pigs and the ethics of experimentation: the BMJ's correspondent at the Nuremberg medical trial", pp.1467-9; Brentlinger, PE "Health sector response to security threats during the civil war in El Salvador", pp. 1470-4. On a more current situation, see a letter from Iraq: Effect of sanctions on surgical practice, pp. 1474-5. The full text of all the Nuremberg articles is available on the BMJ homepage <http://www.bmj.com/bmj/>. Some are also available on the Medicine and Global Survival homepage <http://www.healthnet.org/MGS>.

A number of references and papers on the topic include: Taylor T. The anatomy of the Nuremberg trials. New York: Alfred Knopf, 1992; Vollmann J, Winau R. The Prussian regulation of 1900: early ethical standards for human experimentation in Germany. IRB: a review of human subjects research 18 (1996), 9-11 (Hastings Center); Annas G J, & Grodin M A. The Nazi doctors and the Nuremberg code: Human rights in human experimentation. Oxford University Press: New York, 1992; Pross C. The value of the human being: medicine in Germany 1918-1945. Berlin: Arztekammer Berlin, 1991; Mitscherlich A, Mielke F. Doctors of infamy: the story of the Nazi medical crimes. New York: Schuman,1949; Alexander L. Medical science under dictatorship. NEJM 241 (1949), 39-47; Beecher H K. Ethics and clinical research. NEJM 274 (1966), 1354-60. Katz J. Experimentation with human beings. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1972; Final Report Of The President's Advisory Committee. Ethics Of Human Subjects Research: A Historical Perspective. Human Radiation Research. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. There are also references to the genocide in the former Yugoslavia, Gutman R. A witness to genocide. The first inside account of the horrors of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. Shaftesbury: Element Books, 1993; Hong J W, Norbert B. Srebrenica; record of a war crime. London: Penguin, 1996.

Letters complaining against the continued publication of the atlas, Platzer W, ed. Pernkopf Anatomy: Atlas of Topographic and Applied Human Anatomy. Baltimore: Urban & Schwarzenberg, 1989: vols I and II. named after the anatomist Professor Eduard Pernkopf of the University of Vienna, are in JAMA 276 (1996), 1633-4; BMJ 313 (1996), 1432; as is a defense by the publishers. The original Pernkopf work contains more than 800 detailed paintings of dissections, with most of the Nazi SS icons eliminated. The precise origins of the cadavers used in Pernkopf's work are unknown, but some evidence suggests they may have been victims of political terror. It is known that the Anatomy Institute of the University of Vienna received the cadavers of prisoners executed at the Vienna district court and of others put to death at Gestapo execution chambers in Linz, Munich, and Prague.

The papers in the Hastings Center Report 26 (Sept-Oct 1996) on the topic come under the heading "Trusting science", and include Faden, R. "The Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments: Reflections on a Presidential Commission", HCR 26 (Sept. 1996), 5-10; Moreno, JD. "The only feasible means": The Pentagon's ambivalent relationship with the Nuremberg Code", HCR 26 (Sept. 1996), 11-24; Kass, NE et al. "Trust: The fragile foundation of contemporary biomedical research", HCR 26 (Sept. 1996), 25-29; Burt, RA, "The suppressed legacy of Nuremberg", HCR 26 (Sept. 1996), 30-33. On the Japanese biological warfare Experiments in WWII a book review of Harris, SH. Factories of Death: Japanese Biological Warfare 1932-1945 and the American Cover-Up (Routledge 1994, 279pp, US$17) is in HCR 26 (Sept. 1996), 37-8.

A list of Declarations on Bioethics made by International Bodies prepared by Sev Fluss and colleagues at WHO is now on the Internet site of Eubios Ethics Institute. A hard copy should be printed in the next issue of EJAIB.

A review of public health law is Fluss, SS. "International public health law: an overview", pp. 372-90 in Detels R. et al. eds, Oxford Textbook of Public Health, 3rd ed., Volume 1 (Oxford University Press 1997). A paper on human rights is Bentley, D. "Islam and human rights: Protocols for Christian Understanding", Dharma Deepika 2 (No. 1, 1996), 29-42. On oversight of human research, Science 275 (1997), 605. On scientific experts and the law, NatMed 3 (1997), 123.

On Canadian law see Jackman, M. "The constitutional basis for federal regulation of health", Health Law Review 5 (1996), 3-10. The obligation to heal and medical malpractice are discussed in ASSIA: Jewish Medical Ethics III (No.1, 1997), 18-29. On the role of the government in bioethics, J.Med. & Phil. 21 (1996), 113-9. International efforts to stop bad doctors moving country are being developed, BMJ 314 (1997), 251. On Italian ethics, NatMed 3 (1997), 132.

The US Congress and the White House are discussing tighter measures to protect human subjects of biomedical research. New proposed legislation would stipulate criminal sanctions for violations; prohibit federal funds from being used for classified research unless the research has institutional review board approval and requires disclosure to research subjects of certain information regarding the classified research; and relocate the Office of Protection from Research Risks from the NIH to the office of the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services; JAMA 277 (1997), 369. On the US bioethics commission, also see the section on Genetic Engineering of Animals above on cloning, Science 275 (1997), 467.

On 4 April, 1997, in Oviedo, northern Spain, the opening of the European Bioethics Convention on April 4, attracted immediate signature by 21 of the Council of Europe's 40 member nations. More contentious issues will continue to be debated to formulate four protocols to add to the main accord, acceptance of which will be optional pending review of the Convention after 5 years. The accord has been signed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey; Lancet (12 April 1997); BMJ 314 (1997), 1066. The convention will come into force as soon as it has been ratified, as opposed to being merely signed, by five countries. Its contents can be applied not just by the 40 members of the Council of Europe but also by the United States, Japan, Canada, and Australia.

A copy of the convention on human rights and medicine of the Council of Europe is in BME 125 (1997), 13-19. It is also available linked on Internet. A discussion of the convention is de Wachter, MAM. "The European Convention on Bioethics", HCR 27 (Jan 1997), 13-23. A paper on UNESCO and genetics is Lenoir, N. "UNESCO, Genetics and Human Rights", KIEJ 7 (1997), 31-42. On the future of a US National Bioethics Advisory Commission, KIEJ 7 (1997),63-80. In general see van der Burg, W. "Bioethics and law: A developmental perspective", Bioethics 11 (1997), 91-114.

On medical malpractice see Health Law Review 5 (3) (1997), 9-17; BME 126 (1997), 22. It is related to communication, Levinson, W. et al. "Physician-patient communication. The relationship with malpractice claims among primary care physicians and surgeons", JAMA 277 (1997), 553-9. Student's perceptions are reported in Annandale, E. "Professional defenses: Medical students' perceptions of medical malpractice", Int. J. Health Services 26 (1997), 751-75. The BMJ's Nuremberg issue is discussed in BMJ 314 (1997), 1128; and also JAMA 277 (1997), 709-14.

A series of papers on whether we should abandon consent requirements in emergencies is HCR 27 (Jan 1997), 7-12. On children's rights, Community Care (9-15 Jan 1997), 14-5. The role of the Indian High Court in defining the use of herbal medicines is discussed in Nature Medicine 3 (1997), 260. An Indian Society for Health Laws and Ethics has been founded in March 1997. Contact Dr. RR Kishore, the Secretary General, D-11/198, Kidwai Nagar (West), New Delhi 110023, India.

On 4 April, 1997, in Oviedo, northern Spain, the opening of the European Bioethics Convention on April 4, attracted immediate signature by 21 of the Council of Europe's 40 member nations. More contentious issues will continue to be debated to formulate four protocols to add to the main accord, acceptance of which will be optional pending review of the Convention after 5 years. The accord has been signed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey; Lancet (12 April 1997); BMJ 314 (1997), 1066. The convention will come into force as soon as it has been ratified, as opposed to being merely signed, by five countries. Its contents can be applied not just by the 40 members of the Council of Europe but also by the United States, Japan, Canada, and Australia.

A copy of the convention on human rights and medicine of the Council of Europe is in BME 125 (1997), 13-19. It is also available linked on Internet. A discussion of the convention is de Wachter, MAM. "The European Convention on Bioethics", HCR 27 (Jan 1997), 13-23. A paper on UNESCO and genetics is Lenoir, N. "UNESCO, Genetics and Human Rights", KIEJ 7 (1997), 31-42. On the future of a US National Bioethics Advisory Commission, KIEJ 7 (1997),63-80. In general see van der Burg, W. "Bioethics and law: A developmental perspective", Bioethics 11 (1997), 91-114.

On medical malpractice see Health Law Review 5 (3) (1997), 9-17; BME 126 (1997), 22. It is related to communication, Levinson, W. et al. "Physician-patient communication. The relationship with malpractice claims among primary care physicians and surgeons", JAMA 277 (1997), 553-9. Student's perceptions are reported in Annandale, E. "Professional defenses: Medical students' perceptions of medical malpractice", Int. J. Health Services 26 (1997), 751-75. The BMJ's Nuremberg issue is discussed in BMJ 314 (1997), 1128; and also JAMA 277 (1997), 709-14.

A series of papers on whether we should abandon consent requirements in emergencies is HCR 27 (Jan 1997), 7-12. On children's rights, Community Care (9-15 Jan 1997), 14-5. The role of the Indian High Court in defining the use of herbal medicines is discussed in Nature Medicine 3 (1997), 260. An Indian Society for Health Laws and Ethics has been founded in March 1997. Contact Dr. RR Kishore, the Secretary General, D-11/198, Kidwai Nagar (West), New Delhi 110023, India.

The Declaration of Helsinki as approved in October 1996 in South Africa by the World Medical Assembly is in BME 128 (May 1997), 8-9. Children have legal rights which can be forgotten, BMJ 314 (1997), 1421-2; as can mental patients, BMJ 314 (1997), 1492. On self-regulation by doctors, BMJ 314 (1997), 1540-2, 1568, 1633. The ethics of private research committees are questioned in the USA, Nature 387 (1997), 445. Conflicts between ethics of clinical and forensic situations are discussed in Am. J. Psychiatry 154 (1997), 445-6, 448-56; Medicine, Science and the Law 36 (1996), 163-6.

Massachusetts in the USA is publishing lists of doctors with records of malpractice and hospital discipline, Donohue, JP. "Developing issues under the Massachusetts 'Physician Profile' Act", AJLM XXIII (1997), 115-58; Lancet 349 (1997), 1155. Also on malpractice, Lancet 349 (1997), 1403, 1753; JAMA 277 (1997), 1681-2.

A discussion of ethics and genetics in experiments is Faraone, SV. et al. "Editorial: Fifty years of the Nuremberg Code: A time for retrospection and introspection", AJMG 74 (1997), 345-7. On the Council of Europe Convention, JAMA 277 (1997), 1855-6. The French Economic and Social Council statement on the rights of the patient is in IDHL 48 (1997), 80-3. The US may establish a single body to oversee all human subjects in federally funded research, Nature 388 (1997), 313. A discussion of human rights and Asian values is in New Republic (14 July 1997), 33-41.

On practice guidelines, JAMA 277 (1997), 1977-8, Hayward , RSA. et al. "Canadian physicians' attitudes about and preferences regarding clinical practice guidelines, CMAJ 156 (1997), 1715-24, 1725-8. It is difficult to measure clinical performance, BMJ 315 (1997), 142. Malpractice is discussed in Harris, J. "The injustice of compensation for victims of medical accidents", BMJ 314 (1997), 1821-3; JAMA 277 (1997), 1815-6; BMJ 314 (1997), 1786. A Scottish doctor has been struck off the register because of a clinical trial fraud, Lancet 350 (1997), 273; BMJ 315 (1997), 205. Another case of a doctor who wrote letters to a patient disclosing medical misadventure on them is BMJ 315 (1997), 10. The South African Truth Commission has asked doctors to account for their actions under apartheid, BMJ 314 (1997), 1850.

The Council of Europe Bioethics Convention and explanation are reprinted in KIEJ 7 (1997), 259-90. A book review on Montgomery, J., Health Care Law, is in BMJ 315 (1997), 615; Lancet 350 (1997), 374-5. The future of professions is discussed in BMJ 315 (1997), 382. On scientific expert witnesses in courts, Nature 389 (1997), 635; SA (Oct. 1997), 32, 34; and also for psychologists, NS (23 Aug. 1997), 16-7.

Ireland introduced a tough negligence law, Lancet 350 (1997), 421; and on the topic, BMJ 315 (1997), 614, 688. A pharmaceutical company has paid US$100 million in damages to 5 million patients who took the drug Synthroid, because they withheld data, Nature 389 (1997), 703. Some crazy lawyers [maybe the buyers are!] have been selling property on other planets or the moon!, NS (30 Aug. 1997), 3.

The text of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Human Genome and Human Rights is in this issue of EJAIB. A number of commentaries have been made on the Declaration and its unanimous adoption by the UNESCO General Conference, including, Nature & Resources 33 (No. 2, 1997), 1. UNESCO Sources 94 (Oct 1997) includes some papers on bioethics by members of the UNESCO IBC, including Knoppers, Lenoir, Macer, and others including S. Thomas, S. Boukhari, S. Williams. Other comments on the UNESCO Declaration are in NatMed 3 (1997), 1056; Nature 390 (1997), 110; Science 278 (1997), 23.

On medical oaths, Crawshaw, R. "Cautionary note on reforming medical oaths", BME 133 (1997), 13-4; BMJ 315 (1997), 1671-4. The WMA is promoting human rights and democracy also, Lancet 350 (1997), 1530. The UK will develop a new NHS charter, BMJ 315 (1997), 971; and Clinton has proposed a patient's bill of rights, BMJ 315 (1997), 1399.

Cost of malpractice protection are rising in the UK, CMAJ 157 (1997), 940-1; BMJ 315 (1997), 1177, 1674-80. A gynecologist has been found guilty of removing ovaries without consent, BMJ 315 (1997), 832. There has been a 15%-20% annual rise in the cost of claims, and litigation costs for the National Health Service are rapidly increasing. On law in medicine, NEJM 337 (1997), 1240-1, 1436-40. Trends in India are reviewed in Menon, NRM. "Medical negligence liability: Emerging trends in Indian Law and Practice", Law and Medicine 3 (1997), 5-16. There is an inquiry into Indian cancer deaths from women who did not have access to cervical cancer treatment from an unethical trial, Nature 390 (1997), 653. Italy has a new ethical code, JME 23 (1997), 239-44. On insanity defense, Lancet 350 (1997), 1638. On clinical audits, BMJ 315 (1997), 1327, 1369-70. Canada is introducing a law that demands whistle-blowing, Lancet 350 (1997), 1376; and in the UK gagging clauses have been outlawed, BMJ 315 (1997), 836, 1232.

A review paper is Annas, GJ. "A national bill of patients' rights", NEJM 337 (1998), 695-9. On bioethics and human rights, JLME 25 (1997), 295-306. Bioethics Commissions are discussed in Scope Notes 34, KIEJ 8 (1998), 91-109. In New Zealand the government has accepted the right of soldiers used as test subjects on ships near British nuclear bomb detonations at Malden and Christmas Islands to receive war pensions, Christchurch Press (31 March 1998), 3.

A discussion of efforts to maintain standards in British and Canadian medicine by a regulatory body is BMJ 316 (1998), 697-700. The UK MRC has issued guidelines for clinical trials, BMJ 316 (1998), 883; and on the GMC, BMJ 316 (1998), 946 A book review of Millenson, ML. Demanding Medical Excellence: Doctors and Accountability in the Information Age (Univ. Chicago Press, 1997, ISBN 0-226-52587-2) is in NEJM 337 (1998), 845. A paper suggesting hard cases make bad law is JME 23 (1997), 341-3. The US Supreme Court has ruled that men can sue for sex harassment, Time (16 March 1998), 46.

A study of young doctors found most medical errors were not due to working long but rather inexperience and ignorance, Lancet 351 (1998), 804. On medical negligence, BMJ 316 (1998), 804. Cameras are becoming emergency room physicians' courts' allies, CMAJ 158 (1998), 1181-2.

Nineteen countries in Europe signed a protocol to the Council of Europe's Bioethics Convention forbidding any attempt to clone human beings, and another 4 protocols are still planned, on organ transplantation, protection of the human embryo and fetus, genetics, and medical research, BME 134 (1998), 3-5. The countries that signed on 12 January, 1998, were Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Moldova, Norway, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and Macedonia. Both the UK and Germany are yet to sign the main Convention.

On ethical codes and genetics in China, NatGen 18 (1998), 18. The World Medical Association Declaration of Hamburg, and Declaration with guidelines for continuous quality improvement in health care, adopted Nov. 1997, is in BME 134 (1998), 9-11. A book review of Dworkin, RB. Limits - The Role of the Law in Bioethical Decision Making (Indiana Univ. Press, 1996, 205pp.) is in CQHE 7 (1998), 108-11. A Bill of Rights has been sent to President Clinton to sign, JAMA 279 (1998), 7-8. On medicine and human rights, Lancet 351 (1998), 425, 441-2. On burden of proof in medical court cases, MJA 168 (1998), 84-7.

The Tokyo High Court on 9 Feb. 1998 awarded the family of a Jehovah's Witness Y550,000 from the central government and 3 doctors because she received a blood transfusion against her will, at an affiliated hospital of Tokyo University in Sept. 1992; Japan Times (10 Feb. 1998), 2. The court decision said if there was a clear contract there was no problem not to transfuse, and the court blamed the doctors, ruling "Every human being is doomed to die someday and the process toward that moment of death can be decided by each individual". On consent for transfusion, BMJ 316 (1998), 397. A report from the ongoing court case in Tokyo of 108 Chinese family members of victims of Unit 731 is Japan Times (19 Feb. 1998), 3.

There has been a call for the reform of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) in the USA, NS (20 June 1998), 3; Science 280 (1998), 1688, 1830-1;GenEng News 18 (July 1998), 1, 15, 47; Nature 393 (1998), 610; BMJ 316 (1998), 1849. A review paper is Edgar, H. & Cruz-Coke, R., "Ethical considerations regarding access to experimental treatment and experimentation on human subjects", pp. 25-44 in pp. 1-24 in Proceedings of the Fourth Session of the UNESCO International Bioethics Committee, October 1996, Vol. 1 (Paris: UNESCO 1997). The new UNESCO IBC is still being decided, Nature 393 (1998), 854.

A collection of 55 opinions and recommendations in one book is French National Consultative Ethics Committee for Health and Life Sciences, Opinions, Recommendations, Reports 1984-1997 (Publisher: Biomedition, 18 rue Camille Desmoulins, 92300 Levallois-Perret, France, ISBN 2-9511924-0-1, 552pp., FF470, US$94+postage). A discussion of Dr. Hiroo Imura who now heads the STA Council for Science and Technology (and thus also the Bioethics Advisory Committee) is Science 280 (1998), 1828-9. On the Helsinki guidelines, BME 136 (March 1998), 1-4. Germany has a new ethics code for scientists, Science 280 (1998), 831. A discussion of the Nuremberg Code and Hippocratic ethics is Lancet 351 (1998), 974-7.

The UK General Medical Council has ruled that a physician failed to get express parental consent for balloon-catheter dilatation of a stent during cardiac catheterisation and this was serious misconduct, Lancet 351 (1998), 966, 1592; BMJ 316 (1998), 955. The GMC also ruled against 2 doctors for continuing to perform cardiac procedures despite an unacceptable death rate in what is called the Bristol case, Lancet 351 (1998), 1525-6, 1669, 1707; BMJ 316 (1998), 1685-7, 1691, 1917-8, 1924-5. A letter claiming that the UK NHS does not need a declaration of human rights is BMJ 316 (1998), 1020-1. A Florida doctor is being investigated over experimental treatment, BMJ 316 (1998), 1041. On disciplinary action in the USA, JAMA 279 (1998), 1889-93. The question of compensation is discussed in NS (7 March 1998), 3.

A series of papers on medical law are in a special issue of IDHL 49 (1998), 1-296. Self-regulation of pharmaceutical representatives is analyzed in Int. J. Health Sciences 28 (1998), 269-80.

A series of 7 papers on the theme of Law, Medicine and Socially Responsible Research are in AJLM 24 (1998), 131-344. It includes papers on research with children, and consent and misconduct. There are deficiencies in US clinical trial protection, NatMed 4 (1998), 749; and patient's rights bill is backed by the Congress, Lancet 352 (1998), 381. 1998 is the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights, JAMA 280 (1998), 462-4. However Amnesty International reports find many abuses continue, Lancet 351 (1998), 1940.

Further comments about the Bristol case are in Lancet 351 (1998), 1900-1, 1935; 352 (1998), 231-3. An editorial discussing the UK GMC is BME 139 (1998), 1; and on whether doctors should criticize each other, BME 139 (1998), 13-6. There is a view UK doctors can not be left to regulate themselves, NS (18 July 1998), 51. Two Scottish surgeons have been suspended, BMJ 317 (1998), 491. The safety of Australian general practice is reviewed in MJA 169 (1998), 67-8, 73-6. In 1997 several changes to the French laws on protection of persons participating in biomedical research were made, see IDHL 49 (1998), 341-2.

Forensic medicine and international justice in Yugoslavia is discussed in Lancet 351 (1998), 1956-7. The effectiveness of codes of conduct in business is discussed in Business Ethics European Review 7 (1998), 140-9. The question of whether health authorities should be involved in alternative medicine is discussed in NS (22 August 1998), 18-9.

On legal protection of patients, JLME 26 (1998), 89-99; BME 140 (1998), 13-8; and in experimental trials, Morin, K. "The standard of disclosure in human subject experimentation", J. Law & Medicine 9 (1998), 157-221. There are proposals to relax research on mentally disabled persons, Nature 395 (1998), 731. A discussion of a Maryland Bill that discusses research on persons not competent to consent is BME 141 (1998), 13-24. Legal issues in the use of public health screening programs in Australia are discussed in J. Law & Medicine 9 (1998), 348-54. A printed version of the listing of International Guidelines on Bioethics compiled by Sev Fluss that is on the Eubios www site has been published as a supplement to EFGCP News (Sept. 1998).

On the UK General Medical Council's decision on the Bristol case, BME 140 (1998), 3-5; BMJ 317 (1998), 811-6. Another GMC case against a gynecologist who showed "lack of care and judgment" is BMJ 317 (1998), 965. However, the GMC may be weakening in influence, BMJ 317 (1998), 964; Lancet 352 (1998), 1452. Clinical guidelines may not always be practical, BMJ 317 (1998), 858-61. A paper on the minimum standard of care is Teff, H. "The standard of care in medical negligence - moving on from Bolam?", Oxford J. Legal Studies 18 (1998), 473-84. Police arrested the president and six employees of a medical clinic in Tokyo for suspected illegal treatment of up to 500 cancer patients with lymphocytes for ten years, Lancet 352 (1998), 1368.

There are a series of papers on the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Political Science and Politics 31 (1998), 505-34. See also Lancet 352 (1998), 1401. Human rights causes are discussed in Science 281 (1998), 216-8. A discussion of whether expert witnesses who are engineers should meet the same standards as scientists is Science 281 (1998), 1578.

On the UN general assembly approval of the Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights, Nature 396 (1998), 297. A series of papers from a 1997 IALES Conference on Human Rights, Bioethics and health in English or French is in IJB 9 (No. 3, 1998), 9-98. The overview is Byk, C. "The history of the right to health as a human right", IJB 9 (No. 3, 1998), 15-31; Annas, GJ. "Human rights and health - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 50", NEJM 339 (1998), 1778-81. Follow-up to the Nuremberg Code in bioethics and the Freiburg project is discussed in IDHL 49 (1998), 549-57. Also on human rights, Lancet 352 (1998), 1800; BMJ 317 (1998), 1393; Science 282 (1998), 2294.

There has been much discussion of human research ethics, and research ethics committees in the UK and the USA, Moreano, J. et al. "Updating protections for human subjects involved in research", JAMA 280 (1998), 1951-8; BME 143 (1998), 3-11. The statements from a recent Canadian report are, Research Councils of Canada, "Ethical conduct for research involving humans", BME 143 (1998), 13-9; and on US guidance for IRBs, BME 143 (1998), 20-4. On clinical guidelines, Lancet 352 (1998), 1876; NEJM 339 (1998), 1705+. Several papers celebrating the ten year's anniversary of the Cartwright Inquiry in New Zealand are on research ethics, Otago Bioethics Report 7 (no. 3, 1998), 1-8, 11-12. The impact of medical and human rights abuses revealed by the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission is discussed in Lancet 352 (1998), 1852-4. Self-regulation of doctors and the Bristol case is discussed in Lancet 352 (1998), 1566-7, 1626; MJA 169 (1998), 352-3, 369-72; BMJ 317 (1998), 1325, 1539-40, 1577-82, 1592-3, 1600-1, 1659-60. Some jails and prisons have doctors who have been convicted of misconduct, JAMA 280 (1998), 1387-92. UK surgeons may undergo performance review every 5 years, BMJ 317 (1998), 1173. On nursing guidance, BMJ 317 (1998), 1403-4.

A survey in the UK found that few patients are aware of the patient's charter that started in 1991, BMJ 317 (1998), 1543. The UK is to limit legal aid in medical negligence cases to specialist lawyers, BMJ 317 (1998), 1338. Prevention of medical error is called for in JAMA 280 (1998), 1444-7; NEJM 339 (1998), 1561-2; BMJ 317 (1998), 1615, 1665. Malpractice cases with alternative medicine are difficult, JAMA 280 (1998), 1610-5. A Barcelona surgeon has been accused of letting a nurse operate, BMJ 317 (1998), 1273. On medical law, JAMA 280 (1998), 1633-4. The question of whether physicians should accept gifts from patients is discussed in JAMA 280 (1998), 1944-6.

In January, 1999 in Japan, Yokohama City University Hospital was guilty of a patient swap, and two persons had each others operatios performed, with one receiving an artificial heart valave in replace of his normal one. The doctor said that under anesthetic the patient face looked the same. From now that hospital will write patient names on their feet. They apparently do not use identification bracelets!

A series of papers on human rights and health in French from the 1997 IALES-CIOMS Conference is IJB 9 (1999), 9-98. A review is Byk, C. "The history of the right to health as a human right", IJB 9 (1999), 15-32. On revisions to the Helsinki Declaration, BME 146 (March 1999), 3-5. Patient rights are discussed in JAMA 281 (1999), 856-61. Clinical guidelines are discussed in BMJ 318 (1999), 527-30, 593-6, 661-4. In Japan prisoners are still denied many human rights, Lancet 353 (1999), 922. There is also much concern over the lack of accountability for medical malpractice, Japan Times (23 March 1999), 2. A letter on Jehovah's witnesses and blood transfusion is Lancet 353 (1999), 757-8.

A new book is Kennedy I, Grubb A, eds. Principles of Medical Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. Risk-related competence standards are debated in Bioethics 13 (1999), 131-59. Tissue damage is the most common cause of surgical negligence suits, BMJ 318 (1999), 692. A report on secret out-of-court settlements in drug-injury cases is Lancet 353 (1999), 517-8. A review paper on the use of peer-review to improve US physicians performance is AJLM 25 (1999), 7-60; and on performance standards in general, Lancet 353 (1999), 1174-7; BMJ 318 (1999), 482, 887-8; JAMA 281 (1999), 217-9. Reporting medical mistakes and misconduct is discussed in CMAJ 160 (1999), 1323-4. South Korea is attempting to crack down on medical corruption, BMJ 318 (1999), 692. On the Bristol affair, BMJ 318 (1999), 348, 1009-11; Lancet 353 (1999), 987.

Several papers on the role of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in national medical policies are in Health & Human Rights 3 (1999), 126-42, 144-58, 160-175; Lancet 353 (1999), 1626. An editorial on the trend to write guidelines for medicine is BME 147 (1999), 1; and on clinical practice guidelines, JAMA 281 (1999), 1900-5, 1950-1. The WMA has proposed some revisions to the Declaration of Helsinki, see BME 147 (1999), 18-22; Lancet 353 (1999), 1888.