Des Cobayes Et Des Hommes: Experimentation Sur L'Etre Humain Et Justice

Today, patients affected by serious illnesses for which therapeutic alternatives are limited or non-existent are demanding not so much protection against clinical trials as a right to participate in them.This new demand is the point of departure for this book’s historical, legal, and sociological inquiry which shows how, from the 18th through the 20th century norms and practices, a distinction came to be made between laboratory animals and human test subjects – i.e., between guinea pigs and human beings.The first part of this work describes how both sides of the Nuremberg (1946–1947) “Doctors’ Trial” contributed to establishing an international normative consensus in response to the health crises, accidents and scandals which have tainted the history of medical testing on human beings . The second part examines the position taken in France, with the formulation of a biomedical research law, the paradoxes still present in the law and the new sociological and scientific developments which challenged that law.This book conveys the urgent need for a new social contract with regard to biomedical research which would guarantee respect for autonomy, equal access and personal protection, and also offers some sound solutions.