Contesting Medical Confidentiality: Origins of the Debate in the United States, Britain, and Germany

Medical confidentiality is an essential cornerstone of effective public health systems, and for centuries societies have struggled to maintain the illusion of absolute privacy. In this age of health databases and increasing connectedness, however, the confidentiality of patient information is rapidly becoming a concern at the forefront of worldwide ethical and political debate.

In Contesting Medical Confidentiality, Andreas-Holger Maehle travels back to the origins of this increasingly rel...