On this very special episode of the Mason Institute podcast series we celebrate the seminal textbook, Mason and McCall Smith's Law and Medical Ethics, which was born and nurtured here at  Edinburgh Law School.

Forty years ago Professor Ken Mason and Dr Alexander McCall Smith developed the idea for a textbook that would combine their disciplines in medicine and law, and offer guidance where none had been before. It broke new ground and continues to do so today. Now in its 12th edition, we wanted to look back at how far the textbook has come and understand what the future may hold.

On this episode you'll hear from Professor Anne-Maree Farrell, Director of the Mason Institute and Chair of Medical Jurisprudence at Edinburgh Law School, as she introduces co-editor Doctor Edward Dove, as well as contributors past and present to the textbook. 

The podcast looks at how the textbook came about in the first place, what contributions have been made to the current 12th edition published in 2023, and what the future may hold for the book. 

The final word on the podcast goes to (the late) Professor Ken Mason, one of the original authors. He reminds us of the importance of the relationship between medical law and ethics, which has been a hallmark of the textbook from the time it was first published to the present day.

The Mason Institute would like to extend its thanks to:

Edinburgh colleagues who contributed to the 12th edition of Mason and McCall Smith’s Law and Medical Ethics (Oxford University Press 2023) - lead editor/author: Professor Anne-Maree Farrell and Dr Edward Dove; chapter contributors – Dr Murray Earle, Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra, Dr Emily Postan, Dr Catriona McMillan, Ruby Reed Berendt and Dr Annie Sorbie; foreword is by Professor Graeme Laurie.

All editors and authors who contributed to previous editions of Mason and McCall Smith’s Law and Medical Ethics, including Professor Graeme Laurie, Dr Shawn Harmon, and Dr Gerard Porter.

A special thanks to the late Professor J Kenyon Mason and Emeritus Professor Alexander McCall Smith for their seminal contribution to initial publication of the textbook in 1983, and many editions that followed.

The Mason Institute, Edinburgh Law School and the University of Edinburgh. Their financial and other support is gratefully acknowledged.

Oxford University Press, the publisher of the current 12th edition, 2023, as well as previous editions of the textbook.

This podcast was produced and edited by Kelly Crichton.