Uncertainty is inherent in medicine. Scientific, technological, and clinical advances change the content of medical uncertainty and alter its contours, but they do not drive it away. Furthermore, although medical progress dispels some uncertainties, it uncovers others that were not formerly recognized, and it may even create new areas of uncertainty that did not previously exist. The theme of medical uncertainty pervades the medical literature. It is also a major motif in the medical sociological literature. In both contexts, uncertainty is not only regarded as a challenging and problematic constant, but also as a matter of serious concern because of the adverse ways it affects the work and role responsibilities of physicians and the fate of patients. Uncertainty complicates and curtails ...