Homo religiosus: The Soul of Bioethics.

Although many of the pioneers of present-day bioethics came from religious and theological backgrounds, the recent controversy about the role of religion in bioethics has elicited much attention. Timothy Murphy would ban religion from bioethics altogether. Much of the ado hinges on conflicting understandings of just what bioethics is and just what religion is.

The Penetrating Gaze and the Decline of the Autopsy.

Understanding the decline in the autopsy rate can be furthered through analysis of Foucault's idea of the medical gaze and the ancient Greek idea of theoria. The medical gaze has shifted over time from the surface of the body to the inner organs to the cellular and subcellular levels. Physicians and loved ones of the deceased person are not likely to "gaze" at the same levels.

Hope for health and health care.

Virtually all activities of health care are motivated at some level by hope. Patients hope for a cure; for relief from pain; for a return home. Physicians hope to prevent illness in their patients; to make the correct diagnosis when illness presents itself; that their prescribed treatments will be effective.