Health Policy, 5 (1985) 165-166 0 1985 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. (Biomedical Division)

165

Book reviews

Lgislation sanitaire. Programmes et moyens de formation by J.-M. Auby Masson, Paris, 1985 183 pages

en Europe

This book owes its existence to the World Health Organization’s concern about teaching of health law, and its desire to help member States to equip themselves with well founded legislation, which is an essential base for any efficient health organiza- tion. WHO started to strengthen its activities in this field in 1980, and in 1981-82, its European Office undertook a postal survey of the health legislation training pro- grammes in the 33 member States of the European region. In this book, Professor Jean-Marie Auby, dean of the University of Bordeaux I, and director of the Bordeaux health law center, analyses the replies from the 20 respondent countries with courses in this field, and presents the findings in a summary sheet for each course detailing: the organization providing it, the teaching staff and their qualifications, the kind of students catered for, the nature, content, dates, and duration of the course, the examinations and degrees involved, the kinds of teaching material and library support available, student numbers, and the date since which the course has been running. These summaries are preceded by a general discussion of health legislation.

Health law is a composite field, drawing on legal rules from a variety of other areas of law, including public, international, constitutional, administrative, civil, commer- cial, insurance and criminal law. This being so, it is hard to impose as a separate legal speciality, and its teaching is often piecemeal, limited, or inexistent, even in otherwise prestigious university law departments. A further problem is that health law teaching requires scientific and medical knowledge as well as legal expertise, a difficult and demanding combination.

Major developments in biology and medicine in recent years have made it even more important and urgent to make good the deficiencies in health law teaching. Abortion, human experimentation, artificial insemination, organ transplants, and euthanasia, are all burning issues whose legal solutions have important social, economic, scientific, and ethical implications.

Professor Auby suggests that a two level training should be available everywhere: a basic training to meet a minimum requirement of future health sector professionals, and a high level training for graduates from various fields who wish to become specialists in health law. His book tells those wanting either level of training where to find it and in some detail what is provided. The information gap he fills more than compensates for the inevitable imperfections of a postal survey.

Raymond Rigoni Health Management Institute

Geneva, Switzerland

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