著者

堀田 輝明

出版者

日本医学哲学・倫理学会

雑誌

医学哲学 医学倫理 (ISSN:02896427)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.9, pp.113-119, 1991-07-31 (Released:2018-02-01)

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In Japan, pharmacists are generally regarded as specialists only of the materials which they treat. So, they are differentiated from the physicians and nurses who have close relations with their patients. Such a general view makes the job of a pharmacist charmless and uninteresting. Having close contact with patients, observing the effect of their medicine and guiding them in how to take it, are the proper work for a pharmacist. Today it seems that the serving-systems for medicine are becoming more clinical, and in the great hospitals, pharmaceutical systems are separated into smaller units of clinical specialization. That is the only way to raise the level of the pharmacist's activities and responsibilities.

著者

堀田 輝明

出版者

日本医学哲学・倫理学会

雑誌

医学哲学 医学倫理 (ISSN:02896427)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.8, pp.1-12, 1990-07-31 (Released:2018-02-01)

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Medical ethics should be considered from the point of view of the helpless patient. N. Hartmann once defined the human being in relation to four phases: 1. inorganic (unorganisch) 2. organic (organisch) 3. psychic (seelisch) 4. spiritual (geistig). All human beings are composed of these four phases, and he describes the dominant roles in each phase. If we try to apply these concepts to medical practice, we find patients tend to see themselves in terms of the psychic and organic phases, while doctors should act in terms of the spiritual phase. So patients generally tend to desire hedonistic satisfaction, while doctors tend to pursue normative goals. These are the fundamental ethical differences between doctors and patients in the field of medical practice. Medical practice should be founded on the modern social values of respect for human dignity and happiness. Japanese medical practice in particular must try to respect these humanistic values while maintaining its traditional cultural and ethical standards. In other words our medical activity should be based not only on the American medical concept of "quality of life" , but also on the Japanese traditional attitude of caution in medical matters.