GASTROENTEROLOGY IN THE LAST DECENNIA AND INITIATIVES IN MEDICAL-ETHICS - COINCIDENCE OR LINKAGE

A quarter of a century ago ethics was an esoteric term, known to theol ogians and philosophers, but unknown as a discipline to the majority o f doctors. Since then, however, ethics has become a substantial part o f clinical medicine and health research. Ethics as an area of interest for Danish gastroenterologists appeared from several foci in the earl y days. One angle was an almost revival-like interest in research meth odology and its ethical dimensions. Other angles were derived from Dan ish gastroenterologists' experiences transferred from other discipline s before the birth of Danish gastroenterology. From the time of these early incentives Danish gastroenterologists have constituted a platfor m for the implementation of the basic principles, lying behind medical ethics, now in collaboration with other parts of the medical professi on. The topics are reflected in a number of publications and in the va rious practical diversions. An interest in information of patients app eared at an early stage. Publication ethics as a subdiscipline Danish gastroenterologists and has led to contributions within the framework of the involved International Group of Medical Journal Editors. Resear ch ethnics, a central topic throughout all years, has led to such impo rtant initiatives as the Second Helsinki Declaration and the establish ment of a national control system for medical research in man. A furth er ramification of ethics is scientific dishonesty and good clinical p ractice. Here a recent initiative has led to the establishment of a na tional Committee on Scientific Dishonesty. Under the auspices of the O MGE (Organisation Mondiale de Gastroenterologie) Danish gastroenterolo gists have investigated transnational and transcultural differences in gastroenterologists' attitudes to information of patients and relativ es and have unmasked considerable and important differences throughout the world. Medical ethics has, together with scientific methodology, to some extent reunited the sub-specialized fragments of the mother di sciplines medicine and surgery and in this way has acted as partes pro toro.