The British physician who is the author of this book takes a clear and determined position, which he shores up with a mass of detailed evidence. His view is that clinical research must go on but that acknowledged and observed safeguards for the patient must be established in order to control an expanding minority who resort to unethical and probably illegal practices. If anyone doubts that such a problem exists, the book provides numerous documented examples of children and elderly, mentally ill, and otherwise weak or defenseless persons who have been subjected to reckless and occasionally cruel experiments. The author's moral indignation is unmistakable, but it does not prevent him from presenting a logical argument. Few if any physicians will take issue with Dr. Pappworth's ethical principles, which he identifies as: equality (the golden rule); valid consent; prohibited subjects (eg, mental incompetents); previous animal experiments; experimenter's competence; and proper records.
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Amasa B. Ford (1968) studied this question.