Evolving ethos of medical research: A retrospective analysis of the declaration of Helsinki (1964-2024)

doi:10.5662/wjm.v15.i4.107699

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World Journal of Methodology

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World J Methodol. Dec 20, 2025; 15(4): 107699
Published online Dec 20, 2025. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v15.i4.107699

Evolving ethos of medical research: A retrospective analysis of the declaration of Helsinki (1964-2024)

Jovan Yi Jun Liau, Vishal G Shelat

Jovan Yi Jun Liau, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 308232, Singapore

Vishal G Shelat, Department of General Surgery, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore 308433, Singapore

Author contributions: Shelat VG contributed to conceptualization; Shelat VG and Liau JYJ contributed to writing; Shelat VG contributed to supervision.

Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Corresponding author: Vishal G Shelat, Adjunct Associate Professor, FRCS, Department of General Surgery, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, 11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng, Singapore 308433, Singapore. vgshelat@gmail.com

Received: March 28, 2025
Revised: April 20, 2025
Accepted: June 7, 2025
Published online: December 20, 2025
Processing time: 129 Days and 22.9 Hours

Core Tip

Core Tip: The current 2024 revision of the Declaration of Helsinki (DoH) marks the 11th version of the DoH since its inception in 1964. Throughout the past 60 years, many notable controversies in medical ethics have arisen, such as the Tuskegee syphilis study and the harvesting of the HeLa cell line. Following these incidents, iterations of the DoH have increasingly emphasized distributive justice and beneficence, rather than focusing solely on patient autonomy. This essay will examine the key changes across the DoH's iterations, highlighting the progressive strengthening of participant protection and the evolving relationship between research, societal benefit, and individual rights.