D. John Doyle – författare

This book is the result of several years of enthusiastic planning and effort. Much of this enthusiasm came from the experience of devel{)ping Critical Care Consultant, a large BASIC program for critical care applications (St. Louis, C. V. Mosby, 1985). Working with clinicians showed me that many were interested in learning about clinical applications of computers (and even programming in small doses) but were faced with a paucity of clinical application software. Few had the time or training to develop any such software on their own. After a search through the existing medical literature unearthed relatively little in the way of usable programs, I decided that a series of small clinical applications programs would be of use to the medical community. At the onset a number of strategic decisions were made: (1) the programs would be written in BASIC, in view of its universal popularity, (2) the units used for clinical laboratory tests would be those in common use in the United States, (3) the programs would be simple and easily understood and employ no exotic tricks that were not easily transported across computers, (4) references to the literature would be provided to allow the clinician to critically assess the algorithm or method used himself or to follow up on subsequent criticisms that may have been published, and (5) the programs would demonstrate reasonable standards of software engineering in terms of clarity, trans­ portability, documentation, and ease of modification.

This book is a critical examination of the philosophical and moral issues in relation to human enhancement and the various related medical developments that are now rapidly moving from the laboratory into the clinical realm. In the book, the author critically examines technologies such as genetic engineering, neural implants, pharmacologic enhancement, and cryonic suspension from transhumanist and bioconservative positions, focusing primarily on moral issues and what it means to be a human in a setting where technological interventions sometimes impact strongly on our humanity. The author also introduces the notion that death is a process rather than an event, as well as identifies philosophical and clinical limitations in the contemporary determination of brain death as a precursor to organ procurement for transplantation. The discussion on what exactly it means to be dead is later applied to explore philosophical and clinical issues germane to the cryonics movement. Written by a physician/ scientist and heavily referenced to the peer-reviewed medical and scientific literature, the book is aimed at advanced students and academics but should be readable by any intelligent reader willing to carry out some side-reading. No prior knowledge of moral philosophy is assumed, as the various key approaches to moral philosophy are outlined early in the book.

Cardiac and respiratory sounds contain critical diagnostic information, often reflecting subtle changes in health status. Yet, the skills needed to capture, analyze, and interpret these signals are often underemphasized in traditional medical and engineering education.Cardiorespiratory Bioacoustics: Clinical and Technical Perspectives is a practical and accessible guide that bridges the gap between clinical medicine and biomedical engineering. Aimed at students, researchers, and clinicians, the book explores the field of clinical bioacoustics through the lens of cardiorespiratory sound analysis. It offers both foundational knowledge and real-world applications, including signal acquisition, acoustic analysis, and clinical interpretation of heart and lung sounds. Readers will gain insights into the physiological origins of these sounds, their diagnostic value, and the technologies used to capture and analyze them.What sets this book apart is its project-based approach: readers are encouraged to build and experiment with hands-on projects using Arduino microcontrollers, USB microphones, and Windows-based open-source software tools like Audacity and Spectrogram16. These include heart sound monitors, frequency-domain analyzers, and color spectrographic lung sound systems. With clear explanations, minimal technical prerequisites, and an emphasis on do-it-yourself learning, the book equips readers with both theoretical understanding and practical skills to explore and innovate in the field of clinical bioacoustics.

This book is a critical examination of the philosophical and moral issues in relation to human enhancement and the various related medical developments that are now rapidly moving from the laboratory into the clinical realm.