Prof. W. G. Irwin: A Case Study in the Development of Medical Ethics Education in the UK

On his appointment in 1971 William George Irwin became the UK’s second Professor of General Practice and the first on the island of Ireland. Given the high percentage, both then and now, of medical graduates who go on to become GPs it is somewhat startling to note that it was only at this time that medical schools began to directly address General Practice in their curricula. Given the social organisation of medical education the introduction of a Professor of General Practice meant the introduction of a Department of General Practice and so the guarantee of curriculum time. In the context of the ever-increasing drive towards medical specialism, kick-started by the various reports of Abraham Flexnor and having their basis in biomedical science, General Practice, and the other ‘Cinderella’ subjects of medicine, were at a distinct disadvantage in terms of the kind of knowledge they had to offer. On his appointment Prof WG Irwin’s first task was to articulate General Practice as a medical specialism and, in so doing, produce a curriculum and, as we shall see, pedagogy that could meet its specific needs. He also articulated a research program that would distinctively identify General Practice as not only a medical specialism but as an academic area of enquiry. The way in which Irwin accomplished this task is discussed in the first section of this chapter. In the subsequent sections I trace his teaching career from his first foray into medical ethics, a course addressing issues in terminal care, and, via a seat on the Warnock Committee, to the design and implementation of a multi-disciplinary course in medical ethics.