ABSTRACT
The 1960s was the decade of conferences, capstoned by the publication of The Patient as Person. These conferences set the stage for the founding of a field-bioethics-and the creation of two centers embodying James Gustafson’s call for “interdisciplinary . . . intensive and long-term work.” With the intellectual stage set, the 1970s ushered in what might be called the decade of crystallizing events. These events focused attention, clarified issues, galvanized effort, and precipitated a call for legislatively defined moral principles. The human tragedies embedded in these events ener - gized legal reform efforts more effectively than conference presentations ever could.
