Joseph Collins | Should Doctors Tell the Truth?
Collins writes from a physician's point of view in 1927 about male, upper-class patients. His stance is paternalistic. He decides what is best for his patients and how much they should know, focusing, on the one hand, on positive consequences of his decisions to lie to patients (they did not despair or commit suicide) and, on the other hand, on negative consequences of his decisions to tell the truth to patients (they did despair or commit suicide). At times he appears to justify his right to lie to patients on the basis of his superior understanding of their psyches and at others times on the fact that a prognosis is impossible due to the state of current medical knowledge.
-Collins conspired with the ___________ of patients to keep them from learning the truth about their diagnoses.
A) co-workers
B) employers
C) families and friends
D) attorneys

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Collins conspired with the families and friends of patients to keep them from learning the truth about their diagnoses, as they were often involved in maintaining the deception for the perceived benefit of the patient.