Movies and Medical Ethics

Abstract

In classrooms and lecture halls around the world, motion pictures have proven to be excellent platforms from which to ignite enthusiasm, illustrate clinical signs and symptoms of illness, recount medical history and scientific progress, and enhance understanding of research and medical practices. They provide instruments for highlighting contemporary social issues and society’s perception of health care, disease and medical ethics, as well as to initiate thought-experiments that advance philosophical knowledge. By portraying relationship webs that influence moral behaviours, films are able to turn us inwards, as we experience the cinematic narrative using both the emotive and cognitive parts of our being. By virtue of a visual, aural, and imaginative medium, film draws on our sensitivities and intellect; challenging us to interpretations that promote debates of complex moral issues or bioethical claims. In a sense, film might be viewed as a nexus where art, science, philosophy, behavioural sciences, and medicine join to enable and enrich our understanding. This chapter provides examples of how feature films and their specific scenes can be used to promote reflection on a variety of medical ethics issues, and showcases some of the techniques and hazards of using cinematic storytelling for this purpose.