The Ivf Revolution

What is IVF? Who is suitable for treatment? How much does it cost? Where do you go for it? What other treatments are available? What are the ethnical implications of infertility treatment? If you need to know the answers to any of these questions then you need to read this book. THE IVF REVOLUTION is a comprehensive, user-friendly guide, from an internationally respected gynaecologist, for all those thinking about, or currently involved in, treatment for infertility. It gives practical information on all techniques that are now available for assisted reproduction together with the success rates of the different treatments and their respective costs, so that you can assess your own chance of success. In addition the book provides an overview on recent scientific developments such as DNA identification of sperm which can allow parents to pre-determine the sex of their baby; and also covers such ethical issues as that of Mandy Alwood and Diane Blood whose hard-won legal battle gave her the right to conceive using the sperm of her dead husband.

A Sympathetic Approach to Understanding the Causes and Options for Treatment

Infertility

An encouraging and straightforward book offering all vital support and comprehensive information to couples faced with infertility problems.

What are the cuases of infertility? How can it be overcome? What is involved in IVF treatment? What are the chances of success? An estimated 1 in 8 couples have trouble conceiving. In this indispensable guide, Professor Robert Winston, Director of the Infertility Clinic ay Hammersmith Hospital, London, looks at the facts: the known cures for infertility in both men and women, what tests and investigations can be done and what they involve, different treatments available and their success rates, together with advice and support for sufferers of untreatable infertility. All the most up to date information is presented with sympathy and insight.

Superhuman

Robert Winston is Director of Reproductive Medicine at Hammersmith Hospital and Professor of Fertility Studies, Imperial College, London. His research into embryology and genetics is recognised internationally. He is currently Chairman of the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology. He has presented various BBC television series, including The Human Body which won numerous awards, including three BAFTAs. His publications written for lay readership, for which he was recently awarded the Royal Society’s Michael Faraday Gold Medal, include: 
 
The IVF Revolution (Vermillion, 1999) 
Predictions Genetic Manipulation (Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1997) 
Making Babies (BBC, 1996) 
Getting Pregnant (Pan Macmillan, 1993) 
Infertility A sympathetic approach (Martin Dunitz, 1986, Vermillion, 1996) 
 
Lori Oliwenstein is Science Write at the Unviersity of Southern California’s Health Sciences Campus and was formerly a Senior Editor at Discover magazine.

Accompanying the major new BBC documentary series, Superhuman explores the human bodys astonishing ability to heal, renew and regenerate itself. In recording the before, during and after of radical operations on real people it introduces us to the pioneering efforts of medical teams and alerts us to the ethical issues that new medical advances raise. Over six chapters Superhuman addresses significant developments within six key medical areas: cancer, infection, transplantation, trauma, repair and reproduction. Acknowledging the debt modern physicians owe to yesterday Superhuman begins by investigating the human bodys innate abilities to heal itself. And, as we gladly launch ourselves into an age of biotechnology, it questions whether we might now use all the information available to us to comprehend finally how our bodies work? If we can achieve that, perhaps becoming superhuman is truly within our reach. Chapter one introduces us to the trauma surgeons who have discovered that the shock that follows trauma can prove beneficial in saving the body and the brain. Chapter two chronicles the astonishing technology now being used in medical transplants and the contentious issues these processes excite. Should technology continue to develop apace how are doctors and patients to choose between using an artificial limb created specifically for a patient, a human limb grown from the patients own genetic information, or the alternative solutions offered by the animal kingdom? And is intervention of true benefit to the patient if it requires a lifetime of immuno-suppressing drugs? The recent successes of the Human Genome Project have dissolved the boundaries of regeneration with made-to-order organs no longer beyond our limits. Chapter three presents the scientists responsible for engineering human tissue from materials found in the body and outlines how they might help us might claim our lost powers of regeneration. Chapter four relates how we are faring in the battle against the old enemy cancer and tells how experts in this field are trying to regain control of the cancer cells that turn against us. Chapter five explains how we strive to combat the threats we all face living in a modern world teeming with globetrotters who share one feature we're all potential contagion-carriers. Superhuman goes on to inform of the dangers of pushing too far to eradicate infectious disease from our lives completely. Chapter six spotlights an area of considerable debate that will possibly alter the course of human evolution fertility and genetic manipulation. Superhuman discusses both the advantages and the dangers of new technologies in this area, arguing that they have many positive applications and that often the hazards are overstated, solely through fear. In an attempt never to lose sight of our humanity while inviting the superhuman in us all to work, Superhuman encourages a holistic approach to medicine and an open forum for the discussion of the future of medical science.

An arresting history of our inventions

Bad Ideas?

From the axe to the internet - the hidden dangers of man's impulse to invent

A provocative inversion of traditional histories of scientific ingenuity ... by the end I realised that what Winston's own powerful and well-paced narration had opened my eyes to was the importance of the non-scientific being better informed.

With erudition and impeccable logic he traces the emergence of inventions through history ... His arguments are well presented and easily followed, while his conclusions are often as controversial as the inventions themselves.

Robert Winston is one of Britain's best-known scientists. As Emeritus Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College, London, and an active researcher in reproductive physiology, he has made advances in fertility medicine. His television series including The Human Body, Child of Our Time, Human Instinct, The Story of God and A Child Against All Odds have made him a household name. He became a life peer in 1995.

We are born with the instinct to create and invent. Indeed, our ability to do so is what separates us from the rest of the animal world. But have our creative ideas always produced desirable results? Have they always served us well? 
 
Bad Ideas? traces the fascinating history of our attempts at self-improvement but also questions their value. The dubious consequences of the development of weaponry, for example, is self-evident. But what of apparently more innocuous advances such as farming, writing and medicine? Science has produced huge good but has also had unforeseen consequences. Can science and scientists find solutions to the perils that now menace us? 
 
We join Robert Winston on a thrilling journey from our earliest days to the present. We meet some key individuals along the way and share quirky anecdotes about their lives and brainwaves. Inspiring, unusual and at times controversial, Bad Ideas? assesses the past and looks forward to the opportunities of the future. In so doing it celebrates man's extraordinary capacity for achievement and offers a hopeful way forward to protect humanity against what sometimes seem like bad ideas.

Human Instinct

How our primeval impulses shape our modern lives.

Devastaingly good...Every chapter bursts with clear logic, style, wit and imagination.

Robert Winston is one of the country's best-known scientists. As Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College, University of London, and Director of NHS Research and Development and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Hammersmith Hospital, he has made advances in fertility medicine and been a leading voice in the debate on genetic engineering. His television series, including Your Life in Their Hands, Making Babies, The Human Body, Superhuman and A Child Against All Odds have made him a household name across Britain. He became a life peer in 1995.

From caveman to modern man ... 
 
Few people doubt that humans are descended from the apes; fewer still consider, let alone accept, the psychological implications. But in truth, man not only looks, moves and breathes like an ape, he also thinks like one. 
 
Sexual drive, survival, competition, aggression - all of our impulses are driven by our human instincts. They explain why a happily married man will fantasize about the pretty, slim, young woman sitting across from him in the tube and why thousands of people spend their week entirely focused on whether their team will win their next crucial match. 
 
But how well do our instincts equip us for the twenty-first century? Do they help or hinder us as we deal with large anonymous cities, stressful careers, relationships and the battle of the sexes? In this fascinating book, Robert Winston takes us on a journey deep into the human mind. Along the way he takes a very personal look at the relationship between science and religion and explores those very instincts that make us human.

The Human Mind

A fascinating insight into how the mind really works.

Robert Winston is one of the country's best-known scientists. As Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College, University of London, and Director of NHS Research and Development and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Hammersmith Hospital, he has made advances in fertility medicine and been a leading voice in the debate on genetic engineering. His television series, including Your Life in Their Hands, Making Babies, The Human Body, Superhuman and Child Against All Odds and have made him a household name across Britain. He became a life peer in 1995.

It is the most complex and mysterious object in the universe. Covered by a dull grey membrane, it resembles a gigantic, convoluted fungus. Its inscrutability has captivated scientists, philosophers and artists for centuries. It is, of course, the human brain. 
 
With the help of science we can now begin to understand the extraordinary complexity of the brain's circuits: we can see which nerve cells generate electricity as we fall in love, tell a lie or dream of a lottery win. And inside the 100 billion cells of this rubbery network is something remarkable: you. 
 
In this entertaining and accessible book, Robert Winston takes us deep into the workings of the human mind and shows how our emotions and personality are the result of genes and environment. He explains how memories are formed and lost, how the ever-changing brain is responsible for toddler tantrums and teenage angst, plus he reveals the truth behind extra-sensory perception, déjà vu and out-of-body experiences. He also tells us how to boost our intelligence, how to tap into creative powers we never knew we had, how to break old habits and keep our brain fit and active as we enter old age. 
 
The human mind is all we have to help us to understand it. Paradoxically, it is possible that science may never quite explain everything about this extraordinary mechanism that makes each of us unique.

The Story Of God

A personal journey into the world of science and religion.

A lively and accessible guide to its subject. Simply and clearly written, illustrating its points with examples from popular culture, Winston's book is an enthusiastic starting point for the study of a fascinating area of human philosophy and psychology

Robert Winston is one of the country's best-known scientists. As Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College, University of London, and Director of NHS Research and Development and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Hammersmith Hospital, he has made advances in fertility medicine and been a leading voice in the debate on genetic engineering. His television series include Making Babies, The Human Body, Human Instinct, Walking with Cavemen, The Human Mind and Child of Our Time and have made him a household name across Britain. He became a life peer in 1995. His most recent books, Human Instinct and The Human Mind, are also published by Bantam Books.

From the tiniest microchip to the information superhighway, the modern world is dominated by and dependent upon science. Yet whether we realize it or not, we live in an age where faith is still an important influence in our lives. The majority of Americans profess a belief in a Christian God and Islam acts as a unifying, energizing force for many of the world's most dispossessed people. In the UK congregations may be shrinking, but popular belief in the supernatural - ghosts and spirits, fortune-telling, faith healing - is stronger than ever. 
 
In The Story of God Robert Winston examines the relationship between science and religion across time, beginning with the primitive worship of early ancestors and concluding with a vivid portrait of faith in the modern world. 
 
Grand in scope, adventurous in tone - and written from the perspective of a respected scientist who is also committed to Judaism - this groundbreaking work traces a line across continents, cultures and eras.

Robert Winston

Erudite and accessible, powerful and humane.

The awesome history of reproductive medicine from myth to the latest breakthroughs ... magisterial in its unfolding of the science for a lay audience

Compared to the famously fecund rabbit, for whom a single act of coitus has a 90% chance of creating a litter of up to 12 rabbits, humans are very infertile animals. Here in the UK, the average chance of conception is about 18% per month. And in 98% of cases, successful conception leads only to the birth of a single infant. It is unsurprising then that huge efforts have been made to increase our fertility. 
 
In vitro fertilisation, first attempted one hundred years ago, has now become big business. Market forces, combined with the desperation of many couples to fulfil their biological imperative, have pushed doctors and scientists closer to the boundaries of what is desirable or ethical. And as we are increasingly able to access and control the embryo, the opportunities of altering human genetics to eradicate disease, but also to change human characteristics, becomes a real, and to some, frightening possibility. 
 
A Child Against All Odds is a ground-breaking book for Robert Winston as it falls squarely in his area of expertise. It combines his work at Hammersmith Hospital as one of the country's leading fertility specialists, with a hard-hitting, sometimes humorous, often controversial look at the scientific, social and ethical background of man's struggle to discover and control the secrets of reproduction. Drawing on personal and professional experience, it is the definitive account of modern reproductive technology from a practitioner who has spent his professional life at the forefront of this most fascinating and emotive area of science.

Robert Winston

Praise for A Child Against All Odds

Erudite and accessible, powerful and humane.

The awesome history of reproductive medicine from myth to the latest breakthroughs ... magisterial in its unfolding of the science for a lay audience

Books by Robert Winston

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter