Gastroenterology in the developed world as a paradigm for technologically intensive medical specialties has undergone dramatic changes during the last half-century with expansion, proliferation and affluence followed by serious reactions on the part of cost-conscious and demanding governments, insurers and consumers. A review of events in several regions within the developed world reveals tremendous technological progress but inadequate attention to professional, economic and ethical issues, which are crucial for the education of a model gastroenterologist who will embody the qualities that will enable him/her to function well clinically, technologically, scientifically, professionally and ethically and thus enable him/her to cope with the increasingly complex challenges that are likely to arise during the next decades. The possibility and need for defining a specific ethic for technology-intensive medical specialists is discussed.