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A written consent five centuries ago.
1Psychiatry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Harran University, 63300 S Urfa, Turkey. drselek@yahoo.com
Journal of Medical Ethics
|September 7, 2010
Summary
A 1539 Anatolian document may be the earliest written informed consent, predating modern practices. This historical finding suggests earlier origins for patient information rights in medical history.
Area of Science:
- Medical History
- Bioethics
- Legal History
Background:
- The concept of informed consent in healthcare has relatively recent historical origins.
- Historically, healthcare professionals were not obligated to provide detailed information to patients regarding treatments.
Observation:
- A written consent document from Anatolia, dated 1539, has been identified.
- This historical contract was signed in Gaziantep, Turkey (then Aintab, Ottoman Empire).
- The document predates modern informed consent forms and lacks specific intervention details.
Findings:
- The author proposes this 1539 document as potentially the first written evidence of informed consent in medical history.
- The historical contract differs significantly from contemporary informed consent agreements.
Implications:
- This discovery challenges the established timeline for the origins of informed consent.
- Further research into historical court registers is recommended to confirm the earliest appearance of such documents.
- Understanding the historical evolution of informed consent provides crucial context for current bioethical practices.
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