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Volume II · Page 43
Q. Then you do not believe that the urgency, the necessity of this city would make a revision of this attitude necessary?
A. No, not if they were in danger of killing people in the course of testing out the new drug or remedy. There is no justification in killing five people in order to save the lives of five hundred.
Q. Then you are of the opinion that the life of the one prisoner must be preserved even if the whole city perishes?
A. In order to maintain intact the method of doing good, yes.
Q. From the point of view of the politician, do you consider it good if he allows the city to perish in the interests of preserving this principle and preserving the life of the one prisoner?
A. The politician, unless he knows medicine and medical ethics, has no reason to make a decision on that point.
Q. But as a politician he must make a decision about what is to happen. Shall he coerce the doctor to carry out the experiment, or shall he protect the doctor from the rage of the multitude?
A. You can't answer that question. I should say this, that there is no state or no politician under the sun that could force me to perform a medical experiment which I thought was morally unjustified.
Q. You then, despite the order, would not carry out the order, and would prefer to be executed as a martyr?
A. That is correct, and I know there are thousands of people in the United States who would have to do likewise.
Q. And do you not also believe that in thousands of cities the population would kill the doctor who found himself in that position?
A. I do not believe so because they would not know. How would they know whether the doctor had a drug that would or would not relieve? The doctor would not know himself, because he would have to experiment first.
Q. Witness, I put a hypothetical case to you. If we are to turn to reality other questions would arise. I simply want to hear now your general attitude to this problem. You are then of the opinion that a doctor should not carry out the order. Are you also of the opinion that the politician should not give such an order?
A. Yes. I believe he should not give such an order.
Q. Is this not a purely political decision which must be left at the discretion of the political leader?
A. Not necessarily. He should seek the best advice that he can obtain.
Q. If he is informed that this one experiment on this one prisoner would save the whole city, he may give the order despite the fact that the doctor does not wish to carry it out, is that what you think?
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