Using the image of the traditional practice of “beating the bounds” of the parish, this book contrasts the desire to mark boundaries with God’s call to explore boundaries in order to open them. Building on visits to nine Episcopal and Church of England congregations, Spicer explores how they are opening the boundaries between inherited expressions of church and the unique contexts in which they find themselves. He argues that to beat the boundaries around their current expressions of churc...

Our future is closely tied to that of the variety of life on Earth, and yet there is no greater threat to it than us. From population explosions and habitat destruction to climate change and mass extinctions, John Spicer explores the causes and consequences of our biodiversity crisis. In this revised and updated edition, he examines how grave the situation has become over the past decade and outlines what we must do now to protect and preserve not just nature’s wonders but the essential se...

Comparative developmental physiology is a growing discipline examining a diversity of organisms as they transform from single cells to mature, reproductive individuals. This collection of original, innovative essays emerged from a Roundtable on Comparative Developmental Physiology held in Glen Rose, Texas in the summer of 2002. This meeting brought together investigators studying the physiology of developing animals in an effort to identify the field's potential contributions to biology. T...

With chapters revolving around practical issues and real-world contexts, this Handbook offers much-needed insights into the ethics of primary healthcare. An international set of contributors from a broad range of areas in ethics and practice address a challenging array of topics. These range from the issues arising in primary care interactions, to working with different sources of vulnerability among patients, from contexts connected with teaching and learning, to issues in relation to jus...

Increasingly, primary care professionals are faced with challenges in dealing with patients who have been affected by a genetic disorder, or whose family history is of concern. A basic understanding of clinical genetics and the role of the genetics centres leads to greater confidence in the management of these patients. This book is an ideal introduction to the principles of genetics. It outlines the key influences that will affect primary care including screening programmes, the role of g...

A working understanding of medical ethics is becoming ever more important to all practising doctors. There are many ethical issues which present, often unexpectedly, to healthcare professionals which can seem impossible to resolve. This is an introductory text for everyday general practice. Key issues and relevant legal aspects are illustrated with examples and case histories, and the book is structured so particular topics can be found with ease. For added benefit, chapters have pointers ...

The effective delivery of primary care requires the good working of a multi-professional team who provide that care. This accessible and concise text explores the ways in which primary care teams can collaborate well to advance the quality of clinical care and enhance collaborative working across the healthcare system as a whole.Taking a workbook approach, and including examples, narratives, case histories and further reading, Collaborative Practice in Primary and Community Car...

Biologist John Spicer shows how closely our future is linked with that of biodiversity while navigating readers through some key problems facing our planet, including mass extinctions, population explosions, habitat destruction, and pollution. Along the way, he provides valuable insight into the impact humans have had upon the earth and its inhabitants, whether efforts such as ecotourism really help, and how scientists and economists calculate the 'value' of biodiversity. Passionately argu...

The literature on informed consent and its ethico-legal significance in clinical practice has grown rapidly in recent years. This unique book offers a practical description of the principles of informed consent and their application in daily clinical practice. Written by a team of experts in medical ethics and law, the chapters use a case-based approach to elucidate the essence of consent and highlight the ways in which individual patients and diverse situations can shape and even challeng...

Biologist John Spicer shows how closely our future is linked with that of biodiversity while navigating listeners through some key problems facing our planet, including mass extinctions, population explosions, habitat destruction, and pollution. Along the way, he provides valuable insight into the impact humans have had upon the earth and its inhabitants, whether efforts such as ecotourism really help, and how scientists and economists calculate the 'value' of biodiversity. Passionately ar...

Sociology is a key topic for all trainee health professionals, but many struggle to see what sociology has to offer. Based on years of experience teaching sociology to healthcare students, Lani Russell has written a truly introductory text which explains the main sociological concepts without jargon or becoming too advanced. Using carefully chosen examples, she shows how health issues are influenced by social phenomena such as class, race or sexuality and the relevance this has for practit...

With the world's population getting increasingly older, there has never been a more pressing need for the study of old age and ageing. An Introduction to Gerontology provides a wide-ranging introduction to this important topic. By assuming no prior expert knowledge and avoiding jargon, this book will guide students through all the main subjects in gerontology, covering both traditional areas, such as biological and social ageing, and more contemporary areas, such as technology, the arts an...