A Study On Medical Ethics In Wilkie Collins’s Novels

Wilkie Collins(1824-1889)is known as the father of British detective fiction.His novels have won the love of a wide range of readers due to their exquisite plot designs and well-woven structures.His ill health almost holds a symbiotic relationship with his writing in many ways.The extensive experience with diseases and treatments provides the possibility for him to reveal the medical ethics of his times through the portrayal of the doctors and their medical practices in his novels.In The Woman in White(1860),The Moonstone(1868),and Heart and Science(1883),Collins depicts doctors and their medical practices to reflect the status quo of medicine during the Victorian period.Therefore,based on the theory of medical ethics,this thesis looks at the above three novels,interprets medical practices in them,exposes ethical dilemmas faced by doctors,interprets medical ethics revealed in them,and presents Collins’ s thoughts on medical ethics in the Victorian era.The thesis is divided into five chapters.The first chapter chiefly introduces Collins’ s life experience and literary achievements,domestic and foreign research reviews,medical ethics,and the structure of the thesis.The second chapter explores diagnostic ethics in The Woman in White.Through analyzing medical practices of the doctors while making diagnoses,it is obvious that Collins criticizes misdiagnosis that is made due to the doctors’ selfishness of protecting their authority on medicine and condemns doctors for counterfeiting diagnosis under the temptation of money.Because they violate the principles of timeliness and accuracy in diagnostic ethics.The third chapter interprets ethics of medication.By analyzing medical practices of the doctors in The Moonstone as they do prescribing,it is clear that Collins exposes the phenomenon of medication abuse in the Victorian era.Doctors are required to respect the autonomy of patients and abide by the principle of doing good to patients when making prescriptions.The fourth chapter interprets vivisection in Heart and Science.A comparative analysis of the medical practices between Mr Benjulia and Ovid reveals that Collins attacks medical malpractices at the expense of legitimate interests of the patients.Whilst performing experiments on human beings,doctors should comply with the principle of non-maleficence.The fifth chapter is the conclusion of the thesis.It points out that by depicting medical practices and ethical choices of different doctors,Collins recreates the medical situation in the Victorian era and criticizes immoral behaviors of doctors.Doctors should abide by the principles of medical ethics such as autonomy,justice,beneficence and non-maleficence in the process of practicing medicine.Because every act of doctors is closely related to the interests of patients.Doctors should become good-doers who cure the sickness and save the patients rather than evil-doers who abuse their powers and disregard the safety of patients.