Peter Kaufmann – författare

Most obstetricians and pediatricians would agree that the examination of the placenta often helps to explain an abnormal neona tal outcome. As early as in 1892, Ballantyne wrote, A diseased foetus without its placenta is an imperfect specimen, and a description of a foetal malady, unless accompanied by a notice of the placental condition, is incomplete. Deductions drawn from such a case cannot be considered as conc- sive, for in the missing placenta or cord may have existed the cause of the disease and death. During intrauterine life the foetus, the membranes, the cord and the placenta form an organic whole, and disease of any part must react upon and affect the others. Similar thoughts were succinctly detailed in Price’s (1950) discussion of his concept of the prenatal biases as they affected twins. His contribution also admonishes us that placental study is a sine qua non for a more perfect understanding of fetal development. Despite all this understanding of the past and appreciation for plac- tal disease, great resistance still exists to perform the task of placental examination routinely. For many pathologists, therefore, the placenta has remained a mysterious organ.

This is a completely new, second edition of the classic reference which has been out of print since 1984. It is the most comprehensive work available on placental pathology, which has recently gained importance in clinical medicine, and includes discussion of legal aspects dealing with the relation between placenta and perinatal damage.

Completey reorganized - a practical, how-to guide to placental examination plus the most authoritative reference available on all aspects of the normal and abnormal placenta. New chapters have been added on: Normative Values and Tables, Microscopic Survey and Histopathological Approach to Villous Alterations. More extensive indexing help meet the daily demands of bothe novice and experienced placental pathologists.

Viele Kranke und Hochbetagte sehen im Sterbefasten eine Moglichkeit, das eigene Leben vorzeitig und selbstbestimmt zu beenden. Doch was bedeutet dieser Sterbewunsch fur Angehorige, Arzte, Arztinnen und Pflegende? Wie beurteilen sie das Sterbefasten im Ruckblick?In 25 Fallgeschichten vermittelt das Buch die vielfaltigen Erfahrungen von Menschen, die ein Sterbefasten miterlebt haben. Es liefert einen wichtigen Diskussionsbeitrag zur anhaltenden Debatte uber Sterbebegleitung und vorzeitiges Sterben. In der 3. Auflage wurden einige Kapitel aktualisiert und der Inhalt, z. B. durch Berucksichtigung neuerer, kompetenter Stellungnahmen, erweitert.