Doctors' Privileged Communications, Public Life, and History's Rights

This article deals with two special problems in the field of confidentiality and privilege, which can be discussed together although they are not entirely related. These problems arise from a physician-patient relationship and are special by virtue of the fact that the patient has made himself a special object of public attention or public concern. The first of these is the problem of the physician who wishes to disclose information about an historical personage. The second problem is the disclosure of information by a physician concerning patients who are infamous rather than famous.