Medical Technology and Society: An Interdisciplinary Perspective

Abstract

This book focuses on the economic and ethical issues associated with the development and use of medical technology. The text is intended for liberal arts undergraduates and all those interested in the problems posed by the use of modern medical technology. Because the text targets a general audience, it presupposes no specialized knowledge on the part of its readers. The book itself is divided into three parts. The first consists of three chapters and is intended to provide the reader with the basic tools necessary for analyzing the major technological, economic, and ethical issues associated with the evolution of America's health care provision system since the turn of the century. In chapter 1 the authors provide a synoptic overview of the development of medical practice and technology from earliest recorded history up until the present. Chapter 2 briefly explores the relationship between innovations in medical technology and changes in the