
THE NUREMBERG CODE
1. The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely
essential. This means that the person involved should
have legal capacity to give consent; should be so situated as to be
able to exercise free power of choice, without the
intervention of any element of force, fraud, deceit, duress, over-reaching,
or other ulterior form of constraint or coercion;
and should have sufficient knowledge and comprehension of the elements
of the subject matter involved as to enable
him to make an understanding and enlightened decision. This latter
element requires that before the acceptance of an
affirmative decision by the experimental subject there should be made
known to him the nature, duration,and purpose
of the experiment; the method and means by which it is to be conducted;
all inconveniences and hazards reasonably to be expected; and the effects
upon his health or person which may possibly come from his participation
in the experiment.
2. The duty and responsibility for ascertaining the quality of
the consent rests upon each individual who initiates, directs
or engages in the experiment. It is a personal duty and responsibility
which may not be delegated to another with
impunity.
3. The experiment should be such as to yield fruitful results
for the good of society, unprocurable by other methods or
means of study, and not random and unnecessary in nature.
4. The experiment should be so designed and based on the results of animal experimentation and a knowledge of the natural history of the disease or other problem under study that the anticipated results will justify the performance of the experiment.
5. The experiment should be so conducted as to avoid all unnecessary physical and mental suffering and injury.
6. No experiment should be conducted where there is an a priori reason to believe that death or disabling injury will occur; except, perhaps, in those experiments where the experimental physicians also serve as subjects.
7. The degree of risk to be taken should never exceed that determined
by the humanitarian importance of the problem
to be solved by the experiment.
8. Proper preparations should be made and adequate facilities
provided to protect the experimental subject against
even remote possibilities of injury, disability, or death.
9. The experiment should be conducted only by scientifically
qualified persons. The highest degree of skill and care
should be required through all stages of the experiment of those who
conduct or engage in the experiment.
10. During the course of the experiment the human subject should be at liberty to bring the experiment to an end if he has reached the physical or mental state where continuation of the experiment seemed to him to be impossible.
11. During the course of the experiment the scientist in charge
must be prepared to terminate the experiment at any
stage, if he has probably [sic] cause to believe, in the exercise of
the good faith, superior skill and careful judgment
required of him that a continuation of the experiment is likely to
result in injury, disability, or death to the experimental
subject.