Suffering and bioethics /

This wide-ranging collection of 22 essays explores the complex relationship between pain and suffering, as well as challenges that the two concepts pose for bioethics and modern medicine. Although it is obvious that pain and suffering are not identical, the difficulty of disentangling them is highlighted by several of the essays. Neurophysiological insights into the causes of pain and pharmacological means of controlling it do not necessarily translate to the alleviation of suffering. Indeed, the medical focus on pain and the emphasis on personal choice and autonomy in bioethics may have actually impoverished people's understanding of suffering as part of the human condition. These diverse essays probe the nature of suffering in humans, as well as in other species, from the perspectives of biology, medicine, various religious traditions, secular ethics, history, law, and public policy. Taken as a whole, the collection highlights the diversity of positions on the status of suffering and various attempts to alleviate it. In their introduction, Green (Dartmouth) and Palpant (Univ. of Washington) present a useful overview of the major points of agreement and disagreement. While taking strong stands in their concluding essays, the editors also effectively recapitulate and knit together the major themes elaborated by the contributors. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above; general readers. --Joel B. Hagen, Radford University