In this volume, contributors from medicine, bioethics and history of medicine reflect on the development of medical ethics in the USA since the American Medical Association enacted its Code of Ethics in 1847, using historical analyses as a springboard for discussions of contemporary problems. The authors begin with a look at how the medical profession began to consider ethical issues in the 1800s and subsequent developments in the 1900s. They then address the sociological, historical, ethical and legal aspects of the practice of medicine. Later chapters discuss current and future challenges to medical ethics and professional values. Appendixes display various versions of the AMA's Code of Ethics as it has evolved over time.