Abstract
A firm foundation in medical bioethics is essential to the education of any physician. The relative importance of specific ethical principles may vary with the physician's specialty, depending on the nature of the problems dealt with or the services provided in each discipline. The working knowledge in ethics required of a gastroenterologist is different, for example, from that needed by an intensivist or a psychiatrist. It is with this context in mind that Malhotra and Ottaway, in this issue of the Journal (pages 315-317), propose the creation of a national curriculum in bioethics specific to gastroenterology.