HISTORY
Ian Robert Dowbiggin
Also known as: Ian Dowbiggin, Ian R. Dowbiggin
How do we save civilization?
— from A Merciful End
Most acclaimed
Suspicious minds
1999
NEVER AGAIN... Naval investigator Roarke McKinley had trusted a woman once, and that mistake had nearly cost him his life. In his business you couldn't be too careful, and he had no intention of being fooled again by a pretty face and a soft voice. Then he met Juliet Prentice, who was suspected of dealing in government research -- for a price -- and his resolve began to weaken. All the evidence pointed her way, and Roarke had always been a man who believed his own eyes. But this time he was hoping he was wrong, because he didn't think he could bear to serve his country by betraying the woman he loved.
A Concise History of Euthanasia
"In this first book to explore euthanasia worldwide since classical antiquity, Ian Dowbiggin exposes the many disturbing themes that link present and past in the concept of the right to die. His deeply informed history traces the controversial record of "mercy killing," a source of heated debate among doctors and laypeople alike. Dowbiggin examines evolving opinions about what constitutes a good death, taking into account the societal and religious values placed on sin, suffering, resignation, judgment, penance, and redemption. He also examines the bitter struggle between those who advocate for the right to compassionate and effective end-of-life care and those who justify euthanasia by defining human life in terms of biological criteria, utilitarian standards, a faith in science, humane medical treatment, the principle of personal autonomy, or individual human rights. The author considers both the influence of technological and behavioral changes in the practice of medicine and the public's surprising lack of awareness of death's many clinical and biological dimensions." "Dowbiggin reminds us that the stakes in the struggle are enormously high, with the lives of countless vulnerable people hanging in the balance. His provocative historical perspective is indispensable for patients, families, governments, and the medical community debating when it is time to let go of life. Bound to spark controversy, this book takes issue with the right to die movement over the question of legalizing either assisted suicide or lethal injection and raises profound personal and collective questions on the future of euthanasia."--Jacket.