Virtue Ethics in Monetized Medicine

This review essay situates Abraham Nussbaum's The Finest Traditions of Our Calling (2016) within the contemporary genre of physician memoirs that shade into critiques of institutional medicine. Nussbaum's primary concern is the demoralization of medicine as it becomes increasingly monetized; patients are reduced to body parts and reimbursement schedules. He argues that physicians continue to have considerable choice in how they practice, despite institutional constraints. For bioethics, Nussbaum's advocacy of virtue ethics is notable. His book is a moving testimonial to contemporary problems, but also a manifesto for possibilities of change at the individual level.