Ethics in head and neck surgery.

Abstract

Ethical problems have been a part of medicine since it became a cult, an art, and then a science. Ethics in surgery of the head and neck have developed a special poignancy because of the astounding advances in medical science and technology with their application to this exposed area of the body that is so intimately related to esthetics and physiologic function. When the patient and his family are confronted with a potentially life-threatening disease that requires surgical management, the basic human and civil rights of the patient and his physician come into acute focus. It is within this framework of rights and responsibilities that the patient's welfare must be managed. This ongoing evolution in our mores must grapple with problems that Hippocrates never dreamed of; yet, this is precisely the area of activity that provides the best in medical service with the highest dignity to the profession.