This outstanding text and reference provides health professionals & students with a balanced, comprehensive, highly readable survey of the legal concepts and controversies affecting them today. Avoiding unnecessarily technical language, it lucidly explains basic legal principles and theories, examines current issues and their implications, and probes future legal trends. Throughout, each chapter offers a complete, self-contained introdu ction to a medicolegal topic--including invaluable endnotes that cite references, clarify perspectives, and suggest further readings. A unique appendix also explains how to use law library facilities to best advantage.