The Occasional Human Sacrifice

The title of this book is an absolute banger, and the book itself more than lives up to that expectation. Starting with his own whistleblowing experience and progressing through some of bioethics' most important cases, Elliott shows how psychological, social, and institutional factors conspire to suppress action against unethical medical experimentation. There's ample skewering of the bioethics profession as well, with criticism centering on an overreliance on bureaucracy and formal processes despite their limited effectiveness. Much time is also spent on the personal toll whistleblowing takes. Be warned there are some extremely disturbing cases here, and Elliott doesn't shy away from the details. I do wish there was some examination of cases from non-Western countries, as cultural expectations form the heart of many problems examined here. Highly recommend