[Teaching ethics in French medical schools: evolution or revolution ?]

Ethics was introduced as subject matter in French medical schools only recently despite a rich historical context where scientific legitimacy, humanistic exigencies and anglo-saxon influence have all played a role. Ten years after the thesis presented by Bastian in 1986, a survey of French medical schools shows that ethics has become an integral part of the curriculum. Ethics has tended to become a discipline on its own, separate from law and deontology. However, the lack of specific courses on concentration in the first years of the curriculum show that there is much room for growth in the discipline of medical ethics.