Lawyers' Medicine

Imogen Goold is Fellow in Law at St Anne's College, University of Oxford. Catherine Kelly is a Research Officer at the Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine, University of Oxford..

• 1. Introduction: Lawyers' Medicine: The Interaction of the Medical Profession and the Law, 1760-2000 Catherine Kelly and Imogen Goold 2. Parliamentary Inquiries and the Construction of Medical Argument in the Early 19th Century, 1793-1825 Catherine Kelly 3. Bye Laws, the Environment, and Health before Chadwick, 1835-1840 James Hanley 4. Is a Burn a Wound? Vitriol-Throwing in Medico-Legal Context, 1800-1900 Katherine D Watson 5. Not Their Fathers' Sons: The Changing Trajectory in Psychiatric Testimony, 1760-1900 Joel Peter Eigen 6. Speaking Out about Staying Silent: An Historical Examination of Medico-legal Debates over the Boundaries of Medical Confidentiality Angus H Ferguson 7. Law, Medicine and the Treatment of Homosexual Offenders in Scotland, 1950-1980 Roger Davidson 8. The Medical Community and Abortion Law Reform: Scotland in National Context, c 1960-1980 Gayle Davis 9. Regulating Reproduction in the United Kingdom: Doctors' Voices, 1978-1985 Imogen Goold 10. Nobody's Thing? Human Tissue in Science, Ethics and the Law during the late 20th Century Duncan Wilson

This volume traces new territory by specifically examining twin interactions: the way doctors contributed to the development of law and policy and the way law and policy contributed to the practice of medicine ... the quite fascinating conclusion is that as both evolved one affected the other in politically and professionally significant ways. The substantive chapters ... are noteworthy for their breadth of medical and political practice. Medical education, public health and sanitation, disease treatment, criminal prosecution, reproductive regulation, and medical research are all included in case studies, likewise government work from the smallest municipal corporation to the work of parliament itself, as well as a variety of government commissions and regulatory bodies, is all present. Even the judicial work is delightfully expansive...the comprehensive feel of the book is unusual in this field. In general, the book provides a rich record of policy process and development in the context of decisions affecting or requiring medical practice. Rebecca C. Harris The Law and Politics Book Review July 14, 2010 Whilst many such publications invite the reader to 'dip in' selectively, this collection manages to present coherent themes that resonate in many of the papers despite their diverse individual topics. This slim volume is a fascinating collection of papers, each of which reflects well the overall theme of the work. Those interested in the specific issues covered will of no doubt find much to explore... The editors note that the relationship between law and medicine ... in the context of law making is a much under researched topic and should be justly proud that their work presents a collection that breaks much new ground in this area. As such it will be of interest to those working in both the fields of legal and medical history along with socio-legal scholars interested in these interfaces between law and medicine. Colm McGrath The Cambridge Law Journal Volume 69, Part 3, November 2010