Modern negligence law: Contribution of the medical cases

Abstract

The law on medical negligence is part of the law of negligence generally. It has played a significant part in developing two key aspects of the law. There are special rules to determine the standard of care expected of experts when advising and solving problems, and medical cases have largely shaped the law. Although cases on causation may arise in any area, several of the key cases happen to be medical ones. They are particularly likely to assist where there are alternative causes, as it is often difficult to distinguish the effects of disease from those of inappropriate treatment.