Duties, offices, and conduct: the lexis of moral sense and practical ethics in late eighteenth-century medical writing

The general aim of this study is to investigate the lexis of moral sense and practical ethics in a number of medical works published between 1770 and 1803. Two physicians laid the foundations of medical morality: John Gregory (1724–1773) and Thomas Percival (1740–1804). In their works, they highlight and discuss the notions of duty/-ies, office/-s, and conduct in many different contexts, and gradually define their specific shades of meaning in the emerging medical profession over time. The study will exemplify how these three words are used within Gregory’s and Percival’s works (e.g., frequency rate across works, textual and discourse relevance), and will also explore their function in structuring medical ethics, as well as their role in governing medical practice and performance.