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To the Editor: In their Commentary on the relations between attorneys and physicians, Drs Jacobson and Bloche¹ have provided a perspective from which to evaluate difficulties at the interface of law and medicine. In particular, they argue that the current liability crisis has deepened the antipathy of physicians toward attorneys and the legal system, and that a renewed dialogue emphasizing shared values and patient safety is called for in an effort to formulate effective health policy. However, the authors' analysis of shared values is incomplete, and they promote a unilateral move toward accommodation, without recognizing the fundamental cause of the difficulties.

The professions of medicine and law are rooted in 2 profoundly incompatible ethical constructs. Effective tort law, by definition and in practice, is based on principles of adversarial ethics. Effective medicine, by teaching and in application, is based on principles of cooperative ethics. Faced with the same set of . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Dan F. Kopen, MD
Qm2c6sigma@aol.com
Forty Fort, Pa

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