Embryo research, cloning, assisted conception, neonatal care, saviour siblings, organ transplants, drug trials - modern developments have transformed the field of medicine almost beyond recognition in recent decades and the law struggles to keep up. In this highly acclaimed and very accessible book, Margaret Brazier and Emma Cave provide an incisive survey of the legal situation in areas as diverse as fertility treatment, patient consent, euthanasia and the definition of death, malpractice and medical privacy. The fifth edition of this book has been fully revised and updated to cover the latest cases and guidance on assisted suicide; recent legislation such as the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008; new provisions designed to improve professional regulation, patient safety and offer aggrieved patients effective redress; and the Coalition government's white paper Liberating the NHS and its suite of supporting reforms proposals. Medicine, Patients and the Law is the essential guide to help practitioners, students of law and medicine and the layperson find their way around this complex subject, and the extensive legislation and case-law pertaining to it. 'An absorbing book which, in addition to being accessible to the general read, should prove illuminating for practitioners - both medical and legal - an ideal accompaniment to student courses on law and medicine' New Law Journal 'The legal issues are explained extremely clearly; and intelligible reference is made to the most important decisions of the courts' The Times Higher Education Supplement 'Strikingly readable' Nursing Times.