The use of human tissue for transplantation is becoming a billion-dollar business. This book is the first comprehensive exploration of the American tissue transplantation industry. It traces the chain of distribution of musculoskeletal tissue (e.g. bones and ligaments) and skin from the generous donation of grieving families to its transplantation into hundreds of thousands of persons each year. Commodification, commercialization, and the occassional use of tissue for "cosmetic" surgery have raised ethical questions about the acceptability of "markets" in human body parts that have been altruistically donated by families. Inevitably, questions about the informed consent and the need for responsible stewardship by the industry have been raised, often in the Press.
The book provides a comprehensive background to these ethical problems by explaining the historical development, breadth, and organization of the tissue industry, including the technical developments that have made it simultaneously clinically relevant and an attractive market for investment capital. It explores the similarities and differences in how government regulates other tissues and solid organs (such as hearts and kidneys). Contributions to the book come from an interdisciplinary group of scholars, industry representatives, government regulators, and not least, families who have donated tissue from their dead loved ones.
Industry Reviews
"The editors provide a detailed and intriguing overview of the nonprofit and for-profit enterprises that are active between two events: the generous and unselfish donation of tissue by grieving families and the transplantation of that tissue into a human recipient."--Doody's
"...well written and well edited...the first systematic examination of the issues surrounding tissue transplantation..."--UNOS Update
"...an intriguing review of the development of human tissue donation in the USA." --British Journal of Surgery
"I highly recommend this wonderful book for professional and personal reflection, since all of us may need to make an informed decision regarding our own willingness to serve as a donor, to consent to a loved one's donation, or to become, or to clinically care for, a tissue recipient." --New England Journal of Medicine
Transplanting Tissue: Ethics, Policy, and Practice is the first scholarly treatment of the important issues surrounding tissue transplantation. Multi-disciplinary, edited volumes often are plaged by uneven writing, gaps and overlaps in coverage, and poor editing. The editors have thankfully avoided these common maladies to create an indispensable resource that should serve to stimulate critical analysis of the issues surrounding tissue
transplantation."--American Journal of Bioethics
"The editors provide a detailed and intriguing overview of the nonprofit and for-profit enterprises that are active between two events: the generous and unselfish donation of tissue by grieving families and the transplantation of that tissue into a human recipient." --Doody's
"...well written and well edited...the first systematic examination of the issues surrounding tissue transplantation..."--UNOS Update
"...an intriguing review of the development of human tissue donation in the USA." --British Journal of Surgery
"I highly recommend this wonderful book for professional and personal reflection, since all of us may need to make an informed decision regarding our own willingness to serve as a donor, to consent to a loved one's donation, or to become, or to clinically care for, a tissue recipient." --New England Journal of Medicine
Transplanting Tissue: Ethics, Policy, and Practice is the first scholarly treatment of the important issues surrounding tissue transplantation. Multi-disciplinary, edited volumes often are plaged by uneven writing, gaps and overlaps in coverage, and poor editing. The editors have thankfully avoided these common maladies to create an indispensable resource that should serve to stimulate critical analysis of the issues surrounding tissue
transplantation."--American Journal of Bioethics