Duties, fears and physicians.

This article deals with the physician's fear of contagion using AIDS as a paradigm. It deals with this in four ways: it examines the concepts of duty, fear and courage in their medical setting; it deals with the historical aspects of the problem; it analyzes the role of social contract and professionalism; and it develops a viewpoint of the physician's obligation based on these considerations and predicated on a view of professionalism and social contract.