This paper attenmpts a partial, critical look at the construction and use of case studies in ethics educationi. It argues that the authors and users of case studies are often insufficiently aware of the literary nature of these artefacts: this may lead to some confusion between fiction and reality. Issues of the nature of the genre, the fictional, story-constructing aspect of case studies, the nature of authorship, anid the purposes and uses of case studies as "texts" are outlined and discussed. The paper concludes with sonme critical questions that can be applied to the construction and use of case studies in the light of the foregoing analysis. (Jourial of Medlcal Ethics 1999;25:42-46)
Complex issues relating to ethics, values, and the nature of evidence lie behind the decision whether to give the MMR (mumps, measles, and rubella) vaccine. Tom Heller, a general practitioner, is uncomfortable with the evidence that the vaccine is safe. Together with Dick Heller, an epidemiologist, and Stephen Pattison, an ethicist, he explores some of the processes involved in doctors' decisions about whether to vaccinate.
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