The attitudes of professionals to different cultural customs change as the views of society change. A legacy of Christian moral imperialism that parallelled colonialism has been succeeded by an agnostic, generally liberal tendency towards non-interference. Lack of absolutism has, on the whole, got rid of the view that non-Christian cultures are heathen, but not replaced that certainty with very much to rely on when faced with a cultural dilemma. Modern western doctors may see themselves, and probably most of their patients, as culturally neutral, perceiving problems only with ethnic minorities and Roman Catholics. That we are not so bland is demonstrated by the intense national debate that takes place whenever events bring ethical decisions concerning reproduction to public notice. We have not yet become, in Britain, the culture of the pre-eminence of individuality. We need to be aware of the relativism of our culture when working in a transcultural setting.

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