The medical profession, challenged by critics and reformers, is hard-pressed to give account of itself. Just what do physicians stand for? What do they revere? Where are they headed? These questions are becoming increasingly important yet increasingly difficult to answer, by established physicians and aspiring medical students alike. The perceived paralysis in the face of such questions and challenges is the central problem around which this book was written.

To correct this failure, Dr. Trotter proposes the application of Josiah Royce's "philosophy of loyalty" and the related thought of Alasdair MacIntyre to the practice of medicine. Uniquely qualified as both a professionally trained philosopher and an experienced physician, Trotter is the first to apply systematic philosophical precepts to this fundamentally important professional discipline.

In an age of increasingly complex ethical dilemmas within the practice of medicine, interested physicians, medical students, nurses, and other practitioners, as well as philosophers and ethicists, will find this book insightful and essential.