Ethical Problems in Organ Transplantation*

It would, I imagine, be generally agreed that the doctor's primary responsibility is to his patient; to try to preserve life, to restore physical and mental health, and to relieve suffering. At first sight this seems straightforward enough, but in practice it is often difficult to decide on the right course of action to pursue, partly because these various objectives are not always mutually compatible, and partly because there is sometimes no established effective treatment for the condition from which the patient is suffering. What degree of suffering should we be prepared to inflict on our patients in return for a faint hope of saving life ? When, if ever, should we be prepared to try a new form of treatment which has never been tried before ?