The sins of specialists

In medieval times, moralists compiled lists of sins that certain types of persons, such as clerics, lawyers, kings and physicians, were prone to commit. These persons were set aside from the ordinary crowd by their special duties, skills and knowledge. Today, we might call them "specialists" or "professionals". These sins reflected failures to attain the ideals that the specialists were held to. Among the most common sins were actions that took advantage of those who depended upon the specialist's ability to respond to calls for help. While the lists of sins did not include dentists, who did not exist as specialists at that time, this lecture will pursue the theme of the medieval moralists into the time when dentistry emerges as a specialty form of care. In essence, it asks how professional ethics protects patients or clients from exploitation.