Second Opinion - Doctors, Diseases and Decisions

An impressive and well-written series of essays by the Editor of 'The Lancet' examining the history of the doctor-patient relationship in the context of the ways in which our conceptions of disease and its treatment have evolved. Horton does not sidestep controversy, addressing head on such issues as vaccination, AIDS, bioterrorism and global infections. His final chapter is a plea for the inportance of human dignity in the midst of technical advances, a view shared by the Prince of Wales.