Changing Paradigms in Ethical Issues and Urolithiasis Carl A. Osborne, DVM, PhD a, *, Jody P. Lulich, DVM, PhD a , James F.Wilson, DVM, JD b , Carroll H.Weiss c DEFINITIONS OF TERMS AND CONCEPTS Profession How would you define the term ‘‘profession’’? How does it differ from other occupa- tions? A profession has been defined as an occupation that: (1) regulates itself through systematic required education or collegial discipline; (2) has a base in technical, spe- cialized knowledge, and (3) has a service, rather than a profit orientation, enshrined in an ethical code. 1 Ethics How would you define the term ‘‘ethic’’? The word ethic is derived from the Greek word ethos, meaning character or custom. It implies conforming to moral standards or conforming to the standards of conduct of a given profession. To be ethical, one must be in accord with some moral standard or code of conduct. The term ‘‘moral’’ is derived from the Latin word moralis, which signifies manners. Morality deals with or makes a distinction between right or wrong conduct. It implies conforming to a stan- dard of right behavior. Synonyms for moral include the terms ‘‘virtue’’ and ‘‘ethic.’’ Law is not a synonym for morality. Veterinary Medical Ethics The original United States Veterinary Medical Association Code of Ethics was adopted in 1867. 2 Now, broad-based and general principles of veterinary medical ethics have been adopted by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). 2 They a Veterinary Clinical Sciences Department, Minnesota Urolith Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, 1352 Boyd Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA b Priority Veterinary Management Consultants, 116 South Main Street, Yardley, PA 19067, USA c DCA Study Group on Urinary Stones, Dalmatian Club of America, 8290 Northwest 26th Place, Sunrise, FL, USA * Corresponding author. E-mail address: osbor002@umn.edu (C.A. Osborne). KEYWORDS  Ethics  Pseudorecurrence  Uroliths  Calculi  Golden rule  Quantitative urolith analysis  Malpractice Vet Clin Small Anim 39 (2008) 93–109 doi:10.1016/j.cvsm.2008.10.007 vetsmall.theclinics.com 0195-5616/08/$ – see front matter ª 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.