ABSTRACT
Warnings are consonant with the ethical principles of autonomy and beneficence (doing good), but in the United States they have frequently been instituted because of the constraints of statutory and common law, partly in order to avoid liability and profit loss. Concern for safety represented only a portion of the motivation or driving force for warning-related innovations and legislation during much of the 20th century. This chapter considers the history of warnings from 1900 to 1980, addressing major legislation, key institutions, trends in tort law, and corporate strategies around warnings. Warnings are analyzed within the context of broad historical changes during the 20th century.
