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Abstract:
The author presents several basic concepts in contemporary medical ethics. Much of the discussion centers on self-determination and beneficence, two basic but sometimes opposed ethical principles in neurology and neurosurgery. These are applied to decision-making in competent and incompetent patients, using living-will legislation and recent legal decisions about withholding treatment as examples. The Baby Doe case is discussed in detail to demonstrate the importance of medical ethics in contemporary medical practice.