The author, Dr Ling, analyses infanticide, bereavement, eugenics, ageing, suicide, hospices, autonomy, living wills and much more within the rugged ethical framework of the Judaeo- Christian doctrines and the Hippocratic Oath. His conclusion is that modern medicine has lost its way because it has departed from its historic foundations. To counter this, the author calls for a return to the culture of life and the exercise of "principled compassion".