Book Review: Principles of Medical Law, 4th Edition

Abstract

Edited by Judith Laing and Jean McHale, Principles of Medical Law remains the leading comprehensive and authoritative medical law book in England and Wales. As the discipline evolves and expands, so too, it seems, do the volume and number of chapters. This 4th edition is divided into seven parts (‘The health care system’, ‘Clinical negligence’, ‘Patients’ rights’, ‘The law and reproduction’, ‘Medicinal products and devices’, ‘Regulating human material’, and ‘The end of life’) and contains 22 chapters that comprehensively cover the field, from the beginning to the end of human life, from torts to patents, and confidentiality to mental health. Given such breadth and depth, the reviewer of a compendium like this would be remiss in attempting to offer a whistle-stop tour of each chapter. Instead, in this review, I assess this book based on what I think are the criteria for an excellent legal compendium, illustrating the criteria through discussion of several of the exemplary chapters.

Keywords: law, medical law, textbook, compendium, book review