Since the writing of Bernat's first edition of Ethical Issues in Neurology, the field of medical ethics has been inundated with dilemmas. These new issues, regularly discussed in the popular media, impact the daily practice of medicine, the health care delivery system, and the conduct of clinical research.
In the second edition of Ethical Issues in Neurology, Bernat has revised his comprehensive text to address these issues. Chapters have been updated, and three new chapters added, which discuss palliative care, withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatment, and clinical research. The section on genetic testing and gene therapy is particularly timely, although, unfortunately, fetal stem cell research is not fully explored.