Author(s): Joanna Manning

NZ non-fiction

The publication of the Cartwright Report twenty years ago was a momentous event in New Zealand history. The Inquiry into Associate Professor Herbert Green's 'unfortunate experiment' at National Women's Hospital established that this research, conducted without the consent of the patients, was unethical. Much followed from the Inquiry, chaired by Dame Silvia Cartwright, and its report. Critical issues were at stake: matters of life and death; the life's work of leaders within the medical profession; professional reputations; and public trust in the profession. Still relevant (and debated) today, this is a story that must be retold for each generation: in the words of Clare Matheson, one of Green's patients, 'We must never forget lest it happen again.' Twenty years on, participants in the Inquiry and other commentators write thoughtful essays. The first title in Series 21 - Into a New Century.