The use of human subjects in biomedical research has increased rapidly with scientific discoveries. However, the failure to achieve the highest--or even adequate--standards of professional moral concern and behavior is a serious side effect. Research on Human Subjects is based on four years of intensive research in which two studies were completed--one on a nationally representative sample of biomedical research institutions, the second on a sample of 350 researchers who actually used human subjects. The authors explore prevalent ethical norms, the actual ethical behavior of scientists, and the dilemma between the values of humane therapy and scientific discovery. They document the inadequate training that biomedical researchers receive in the ethics of research on human subjects, not only in medical schools but in post-graduate training as well. This landmark work makes very specific suggestions for policy change and reform for the biomedical research profession and its employment of human subjects.

Talcott Parsons Today offers a reappraisal and extension of the work of the most significant and influential twentieth-century sociologist. The volume consists of original essays by prominent Parsons scholars from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Germany. Finally, and most important, it makes a significant contribution to the current controversy surrounding an important sociological figure. The book consists of 10 essays, nine of which are original pieces; all are written by well-known scholars who are intimately acquainted with Parsons' body of work.