These are some of the urgent questions posed by this stimulating and wide-ranging new colloquy. Bringing together a wealth of wisdom and experience in medical science and in Buddhist thought and ethics, the discussants together address issues of vital current concern. They ask, for example, to what degree science and religion, as well as other fields of learning, may find common ground. They examine the pitfalls, as well as the opportunities, posed by genetic engineering. They examine the ...

Winter tourism has seen increased levels of investment in recent times, in an effort to reduce economic risk, address environmental concerns and adapt to the effects of global warming. New ski destinations are developing and merging with traditional ones to increase spatial distribution, while many established leading resorts are adapting their management models. Climate change adaptation processes are supported by the reduction of CO2 emissions and energy consumption in ski resorts. Curre...

[ The main goal of this cluster is the optimisation of the medical arts and science. In a graphical representation of human life, the lifespan or time can be shown on a horizontal axis, and the incidences of disease or health can be shown on a vertical axis. Throughout, patient exists in his personal environment, in his individual pri vate sphere. th In the late 20 century, medical arts and sciences have achieved enormous pro gress resulting in highly effective diagnosis and therapy. Today...

J. Navratil The performance of operations on the heart and its replacement by a trans planted or artificial heart has been an age old dream of man. Rehn for example in an early attempt, in 1868 performed a closure of a heart wound after a thoracic puncture. At that time noone thought that this attempt was the beginning of cardiac surgery. The dream was partially realized when the replacement of the heart function by the heart-lungmachine became possible. Immediately following the first ope...

Attempts to reconstruct various parts of the heart started even before the beginning of open cardiac surgery. By the late 1950s and early 1960 s several closed and open procedures had already been described. In that era, several surgeons in Europe and the Americas were particularly prompted to develop various techniques of valve re construction because of the lack of acceptable valve prostheses and conduits which have become available subsequently. At that time, several congenital lesions ...

Assisted Circulation 3 is an authoritative review of the progress which has been achieved in the last 5 years since the appearance of Assisted Circulation 2 in 1984. The present book highlights the work of well-known experts on - new indications for assisted circulation, - cardiac assist devices as bridges toward transplantation, - temporary mechanical heart support, - results of long term studies into problems of tissue overgrowth, infection, and physiolo...

Assisted Circulation 4 is an authoritative review of the progress which has been achieved in the last 5 years since the publication of Assisted Circulation 3 in 1989. The present book highlights the work of well-known experts on indications for assisted circulation, cardiac support devices such as bridges, devices for transplantation, devices for chronic mechanical support, biological energy sources, cardiomyoplasty, extracorporeal membraneoxygenation and an overv...