Medical law was established as a distinct and important legal subject by the time of this 1998 edition, driven by the evolving rights and duties of the medical profession and increasing human rights demands of patients. The text provides a comprehensive overview of the field, addressing core legal principles, key cases, and relevant statutes within the UK legal framework. The book's publisher's synopsis highlights its focus on some of the most "taxing questions for law" related to life and death issues. A central theme since its first edition was the legal system's confrontation with difficult cases concerning the termination of patients' lives in distressing conditions.