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Book review
Author(s) -
Sheila McLean,
Laura Williamson
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
tropical medicine and international health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1365-3156
pISSN - 1360-2276
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-3156.1999.00358.x
Subject(s) - political science
The opening chapter introduces human organ transplantation with an account of its successes and challenges. Due to the challenge of human organ shortages, attention is turning to alternative strategies. The authors point out that the current UK legislation is a consent-based model, which precludes strategies such as presumed consent and allows for the functioning of more radical alternatives. One such alternative is xenotransplantation, which involves the use of organs and tissues from animals. This book identifies xenotransplantation as a major deviation from standard transplantation practice. Although it acknowledges many potential benefits of xenotransplantation, the book’s main concern is with the potential risks of the technology – “The price if any that we might need to pay if we were to utilize this option” (p.39).