Editorial Compensating subjects of medical research Tony Hope Editorial Associate, Journal of Medical Ethics

My aunt died in 1931 of diphtheria. She was five years old. The doctor who treated her died a few weeks later, also from diphtheria, caught, no doubt, from one of his patients. No one was to blame for his death, and I have little doubt that no compensation was paid to his family. Illness, and even death, was a risk he took in caring for others. Guest argues, in this edition of the journal, ' that those injured through being the subjects of medical research should receive compensation. This com-pensation should be paid even if no one has been negligent. Research subjects, in other words, would be covered by "no fault compensation". He goes on to argue that local research ethics committees should use their power to withhold approval from medica