ABSTRACT

Historically organised at a local or national scale, the fields of medicine and healthcare are being radically transformed by new communication, transport and biotechnologies creating, in the process, a genuinely globalised sphere of biomedical production and consumption. This emerging market is characterised by the circulation of bodily materials (tissues, organs and bio-information), patients and expertise across what traditionally have been relatively secure ontological and geographical borders. Crossing both disciplinary and geographical boundaries, this volume draws together a number of important contributions from acknowledged leaders in three respective fields: the trade in bodily commodities, biomedical tourism and migration of health care professionals. It explores and maps out the key characteristics of this emerging, although as yet poorly researched global trade, questioning how, where and why bodies cross borders, whether this exacerbates existing health inequalities and how these circulations impact on healthcare services. Considered together, the chapters in this volume invite comparisons of the ways in which body parts, patients and medical professionals cross national borders, elucidating common themes, concerns and issues. Contributors also pose important questions about the ethical and legal implications of the circulation of bodies across borders and evaluate current and future strategies for regulation.

chapter 1|12 pages

Introduction

part I|60 pages

Corporeal Circulations1

chapter 3|24 pages

Masculinity Under the Knife

Filipino Men, Trafficking and the Black Organ Market in Manila, the Philippines 1

part II|58 pages

Transnational Bio-medical Tourism

part III|40 pages

Migrating Medical Expertise

chapter 8|20 pages

‘Real Nursing Work' versus ‘Charting and Sweet Talking’

The Challenges of Incorporation into US Urban Health Care Settings for Indian Immigrant Nurses

chapter 9|18 pages

Nurses Across Borders

The International Migration of Health Professionals