【TheBritishMedicalJournalrecentlyfeaturedastrongresponsetowhatwasjudgedaninappropriatelymercifulreactionbyamedicalschooltoastudentcheatinginanexamination．Althoughwehaveinsufficientreliabledataabouttheextentofthis】

　　The British Medical Journal recently featured a strong response to what was judged an inappropriately merciful reaction by a medical school to a student cheating in an examination．Although we have insufficient reliable data about the extent of this phenomenon，its prevention，or its effective management，much can be concluded and acted upon on the basis of common sense．

　　There is general agreement that there should be zero tolerance of cheating in a profession based on trust and one on which human lives depend．It is reasonable to assume that cheaters in medical school will be more likely than others to continue to act dishonestly with patients，colleagues，and government．

　　The behaviors under question are multifactorial in origin．There are familial（家庭的），religious，and cultural values that are acquired long before medical school．For example，countries，cultures，and subcultures exist where bribes and dishonest behaviour are very normal．There are secondary schools in which neither staff nor students tolerate cheating and others where cheating is common；there are homes which cultivate young people with high standards of moral behaviour and otherswhich leave moral training to the harmful influence of television and the market place．

　　Medical schools reflect society and cannot be expected to remedy all the ills of a society．The selection process of medical students might be expected to favour applicants with positive moral behaviour．Medical schools should be the major focus of attention for cultivating future doctors with moral sensitivity．Unfortunately there are troubling data that suggest that during medical school the moral behaviour of medical students does not necessarily improve； indeed，moral development may actually stop or even regress（倒退）．

　　It is critical that the academic and clinical leaders of the institution set a personal example on moral behaviour．Medical schools must do something to make sure that their students are expected to