In the decade-and-a-half since I coedited Transsexualism and Sex Reassignment (Green & Money, 1969), remarkable changes have occurred with Harry Ben jamin's "transsexual phenomenon" (1966). Formerly, when writing about this condition in scientific journals, it was necessary to define the term transsex ualism. Now the lay public recognizes it. Even the American Psychiatric Asso ciation acknowledges it as a "disorder," with its inclusion in the Third Edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (1980). Although this "elevation" to the status of mental illness may seem a Pyrrhic victory, it is a recognition of the legitimacy of transsexual ism as a source of human suffering. The controversy that surrounded the decisions in the early patient cases to perform sex-change surgery has largely dissipated. The cries of "collusion with delusion," principally from psychoanalysts, have quieted. The dire predictions of psychosis and/or suicide following surgery as the "last psychic defenses are cut away" have almost never been realized. By contrast, many postoperative patients consider the surgery to have been life-saving. Medical centers worldwide have incorporated programs for evaluating and treating persons requesting sex reas signment. Elaborate guidelines for patient management have been developed by an international organization of health care professionals (Harry Benjamin Inter national Gender Dysphoria Association, 1981). Harry Benjamin's child has come of age."

Disintegration of kidney and gall stones by intense laser radiation is becoming increasingly important as a complementary technique to extracorporeal shockwave treatment. This book gives for the first time a complete overview of laser lithotripsy combining a critical comparison of the methods and a thorough evaluation of instrumental developments and clinical applications. Readers from the medical as well as from the engineering side will find it a stimulating source of information on all aspects of laser-stone interaction.

Ethical rational, facts, and center techniques for choosing kidney donors all in one volume. This is the first book of its kind, devoted solely to preoperative issues for living kidney donors and those who counsel them. The eight chapters are devoted to vital areas that are comprehensively addressed by experienced professionals. The book presents a unified ethical and factual approach that is essential for all transplant centers to understand. It is a readable and understandable ethical foundation for living kidney donation that is free of jargon. It includes balanced, hard to find factual summaries that are essential for acceptable kidney donor counseling. As transplant centers increasingly turn to living kidney donors, this book is an essential step forward in the field.
The book will appeal to transplant physicians and surgeons, transplant coordinators and social workers, nephrologists who have patients on dialysis or who evaluate potential living kidney donors and to potential living kidney donors and their recipients. As a practical application of medical ethics to an important field, it will be of interest to medical ethicists as well.

Ethical rational, facts, and center techniques for choosing kidney donors all in one volume. This is the first book of its kind, devoted solely to preoperative issues for living kidney donors and those who counsel them. The eight chapters are devoted to vital areas that are comprehensively addressed by experienced professionals. The book presents a unified ethical and factual approach that is essential for all transplant centers to understand. It is a readable and understandable ethical foundation for living kidney donation that is free of jargon. It includes balanced, hard to find factual summaries that are essential for acceptable kidney donor counseling. As transplant centers increasingly turn to living kidney donors, this book is an essential step forward in the field.
The book will appeal to transplant physicians and surgeons, transplant coordinators and social workers, nephrologists who have patients on dialysis or who evaluate potential living kidney donors and to potential living kidney donors and their recipients. As a practical application of medical ethics to an important field, it will be of interest to medical ethicists as well.

Cancer of the head and neck continues to be a challenge. Increasing incidence has pushed malignancy of the upper aerodigestive tract into the first rank of cancer. In some countries it follows bronchial carcinoma in frequency and is more common than gastro-intestinal and gynaecological cancer. This increasing incidence makes it difficult to train enough highly specialised staffwho are also responsible for the care of many other patients, requiring sophisticated microsurgery of the ear and nose. The question of quality is even more difficult. Oncological success in the treat ment of head and neck cancer is bought at the price of crippling of vital functions such as eating, breathing, voice and sight and furthermore of striking aesthetic de formity. Mutilation of this highly functional collection of organs is more keenly felt than that of any other region of the body. It is vital, therefore, that the surgeon keeps up with the recent achievements of functional surgery in order to offer the best ser vice to his patients. Cancer of the larynx is no exception. Despite newer techniques of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, surgery still gives the best oncological results. This requires a wide spectrum of operations varying from minimal ablation to total laryngectomy."

Die Psychoakustik beschaftigt sich mit den Zusammenhangen zwischen psychologischen Prozessen (Wahrnehmung, Empfindung) und akustischen Parametern und hat Methoden zur empfindungsproportionalen Larmbewertung entwickelt. In OEsterreich sieht eine Reihe von Gesetzen fur den Schutz der Anrainer vor Larm keine Schallpegelgrenzwerte vor, sondern die viel weiter reichende Verpflichtung zur Vermeidung unzumutbarer oder gesundheitsgefahrdender Larmimmissionen. In der Praxis werden jedoch mangels entsprechender Regelwerke noch immer Beurteilungsgroessen verwendet, welche nicht immer empfindungsproportionale Kennwerte liefern. Das Taschenbuch der angewandten Psychoakustik beinhaltet eine umfassende, interdisziplinare Darstellung der psychoakustischen Grundlagen fur die Anwendung im Behoerdenverfahren. Ausgehend von den rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen in OEsterreich und Deutschland fur die Verwendung psychoakustischer Methoden wird ein Basiswissen uber die physiologischen und psychologischen Wirkungen von Larm vermittelt. Ein ausfuhrlicher technischer Abschnitt, in dem die Methoden der Psychoakustik dargestellt werden bildet den Hauptteil des Werkes. Ein Glossar sowie Beispiele, welche anhand realer Falle und Situationen die Verwendung psychoakustischer Methoden bei der Larmbeurteilung in der Praxis zeigen, erganzen den Band. Die Psychoakustik beschaftigt sich mit den Zusammenhangen zwischen psychologischen Prozessen und akustischen Parametern und hat Methoden zur empfindungsproportionalen Larmbewertung entwickelt. Eine Reihe von Gesetzen fur den Anrainerschutz sieht keine Schallpegelgrenzwerte vor, sondern die weiter reichendere Verpflichtung zur Vermeidung unzumutbarer oder gesundheitsgefahrdender Larmimmissionen. In der Praxis werden jedoch noch immer Beurteilungsgroessen verwendet, welche nicht immer empfindungsproportionale Kennwerte liefern. Umfassend und interdisziplinar werden hier die psychoakustischen Grundlagen fur die Anwendung im Behoerdenverfahren dargestellt. Neben den rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen in OEsterreich und Deutschland, wird ein Basiswissen uber die physiologischen und psychologischen Wirkungen von Larm vermittelt. Der technische Abschnitt, in dem die Methoden der Psychoakustik dargestellt werden, bildet den Hauptteil des Werkes, das durch ein Glossar sowie eine Reihe von Beispielen, welche anhand realer Falle und Situationen die Verwendung psychoakustischer Methoden bei der Larmbeurteilung in der Praxis zeigen, erganzt wird.