Læknablaðið : fylgirit - 01.09.1977, Page 22

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DECLARATION OF HELSINKI
Recommendations guiding medical doctors in
bicmedical research involving human subjects.
Adopted by the 18th World Medical Assembly,
Helsinki, Finland, 1964, and as revised by the
29th World Medical Assembly, Tokyo, Japan, 1975.
Introduction.
It is the mission of the medical doctor to safeguard the health
of the people. His or her knowledge and conscience are dedicated
to the fulfillment of this mission.
The declaration of Geneva of The World Medical Association
binds the doctor with the words, "The health of my patient will
be my first consideration" and the Intemational Code of Medical
Ethics declares that, "Any act or advice which could weaken phys-
ical or mental resistance of a human heing may be used only in
his interest".
The purpose of biomedical research involving human subjects
must be to improve diagnostic, therapeutic and prophylactic pro-
cedures and the understanding of the aetiology and pathogenesis
of disease.
In current medical practice most diagnostic, therapeutic or
porphylactic procedures involve hazards. This applies a fortiori
to bianedical research.
Medical progress is based on research which ultimately must
rest in part on experimentation involving human subjects.
In the field of biomedical research a fundamental distinction
must be recognized between medical research in which the aim is
essentially diagnostic or therapeutic for a patient, and medical
research, the essential object of which is purely scientific and
without direct diagnostic or therapeutic value to the person
subjected to the research.
Special caution must be exercised in the conduct of research
which may affect the environment, and the welfare of animals used
for research must be respected.
Because it is essential that the results of laboratory experi-
ments be applied to human beings to further scientific knowledge
and to help suffering humanity, The World Medical Association has
prepared the following recanmendations as a guide to every doctor
in bicmedical research involving human subjects. They should be
kept under review in the future. It must be stressed that the
standards as drafted are only a guide to physicians all over the
world. Doctors are nor relieved fron criminal, civil and ethical