The Courage to Fail: A Social View of Organ Transplants and Dialysis

The title of this profound work conveys the bold, uncertain, and often dangerous adventure in which medical professionals and their organ transplant and dialysis patients are engaged. Built around a series of case studies, The Courage to Fail is the product of collaborative first-hand research concerned with various social phenomena generated by transplantation and dialysis. The authors examine the individuals involved and the workings and atmosphere of some of the medical centers in which these forms of therapy have been developed. Since publication of the original edition, the authors have continued to follow social and medical developments surrounding organ transplants and dialysis. In this second edition of their pioneering study, the authors have thoroughly revised and expanded the text to include two substantial new chapters covering the most recent phases in the development of transplantation and issues raised by the "democratization" of dialysis. In their new introduction, they discuss transplantation as a gift of life, how and when death occurs, efforts to procure more organs, and organ replacement and issues of equity. This book will be of interest to physicians, medical students, medical sociologists, and anyone interested in the history of and issues surrounding organ transplantation and dialysis.