The Nuremberg Code and the Belmont Report stand as cornerstones of medical ethics, charting the course from an era of medical paternalism to one rooted in patient autonomy, safety, and social justice—values that define modern medicine. In this chapter we review these seminal reports that have changed medical research and our fundamental relationship with our patients. The Nuremberg Code emerged in the aftermath of World War II, born from the horror of medical atrocities committed during the war. It set forth principles to protect individuals from exploitation in research, ensuring that consent, dignity, and humanity are never compromised. Decades later, the Belmont Report—published by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research—responded to deeply harmful medical studies in the United States. It established core ethical principles for research: respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. Together, these landmark documents affirm the physician’s duty to respect every patient, to act with compassion and fairness, and to uphold the highest moral standards in both clinical care and medical research.