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Lesser Harms:The Morality of Risk in Medical Research; The Blackwell Companion to Medical Sociology

Both these texts start from the premise that health, illness, disease and professionalism operate within and reconstitute the cultural and social dynamics from which they emerge. They differ however, in that Sydney A. Halpern provides a historical perspective and William Cockerham’s edited collection provides theoretical and cross-cultural perspectives on the sociology of health and illness. In her book Lesser Harms, Sydney A. Halpern provides an examination of the moral traditions surrounding medical interventions and clinical trials, illustrated by a case study of vaccines in America during the early and middle decades of the 20th century. The author suggests that a ‘self imposed moral logic’ served the scientific community from the early decades of the 18th century and she traces the emergence of formalized policing procedures during the 20th century. The author indicates that decision-making processes surrounding moral problems within scientific research are shaped by cultural and social dynamics, such as the pressure to maintain professional reputations, which influence the management of risk and what is deemed acceptable in human research. The presentation of the book’s argument allows the reader to trace the management and control of procedures that were considered overtly risky or threatening and those that were seen as furthering the ‘social good’. The argument is presented in three distinct phases. In the first phase, the author suggests that the