Conclusion
The two general duties of surgical care are to
protect life and health and to respect autonomy, both to an acceptable professional standard. The specific duties of
surgeons were shown to follow from these: acceptable practice concerning
informed consent, confidentiality, decisions not to provide or to omit
life-sustaining care, surgical research and the maintenance of good
professional standards. The final duty of surgical care is to exercise all of
these general and specific responsibilities with fairness and justice, and
without arbitrary prejudice. The conduct of ethical surgery illustrates good
citizenship: protecting the vulnerable and respecting human dignity and
equality. To the extent that the practice of individual surgeons is a reflection
of such sustained conduct, they deserve the civil respect which they often
receive. To the extent that it is not, they should not practise the honourable
profession of surgery.