Regulating British medicine: the General Medical Council

This expensive book witnesses to the explosion in issues of medical ethics since the 1960s, and also to the extent and wealth of the American market.It is the first of what will be annual yearbooks, each alternating year dealing with theological issues in bio-ethics, and the intervening years covering governmental policies.It comes from the Centre for Ethics, Medicine and Public Issues, Houston, Texas.Ten of the twelve chapters of this yearbook are by writers from America.They are printed in alphabetical order of author, so that Roman Catholic comes first, followed by Mormon.Then follow Hinduism, Buddhism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy (in its Greek, not Russian, form), Islam, Lutheranism, Methodism, Baptist-Evangelicalism, Judaism and the Reformed Tradition.The Buddhist contribution is, rather surprisingly, from Japan.Missing are ecumenical contributions, which is a pity; though the Methodist contribution includes references to joint work with the Roman Catholic Church in the USA.Chinese faiths are not mentioned.The sources are overwhelmingly American.The exceptions are the chapters on Buddhism and Hinduism, and that on Anglicanism.This last draws on the Lambeth Conference of 1988 and, oddly, on the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Church in Wales, but ignores the Church of England.