Edited by Jacqulyn Kay Hall. (Pp 391; $34.95 + $5.00 shipping.) Jackhall Books, 2001. (Contact Jackhall Books, 18 Nottingham Road, Amarillo, TX 79124, USA; werner{at}ama.ttuhsc.edu.) ISBN 1-888856-00-9.

• Hall JK
• editor Law and ethics for clinicians

If, on first picking up this tome, the overwhelming feeling is of an American book, written by a US author for a transatlantic audience, then you will not be disappointed. Both the layout and writing style attest to this and as such it may not appeal to the non-American reader. To compound this for said reader, all the legal content pertains to US statute and precedent and will be of little interest except to those who wish to study comparative law. Furthermore the book commits, what I consider to be the cardinal sin, of mixing law and ethics together as if they are interchangeable commodities.

However there is value to this book. If you are interested in ethics and wish a well written introduction to the subject, then this is a helpful guide through the moral maze. It introduces the reader to the main schools of moral philosophy and uses everyday analogies to illustrate doctrines. Furthermore, through the use of rhetorical questions it forces the reader to question everyday assumptions and values.

Would I recommend this book to the budding medical lawyer? No. Would I recommend this book to the budding ethicist? Definitely.