“In law school he had committed acts which had formerly seemed to him of great vileness and had inspired a feeling of self-loathing in him at the time he committed them; but subsequently, seeing that such acts were also committed by highly placed people and were not considered bad, he, without really thinking them good, […]
medicine … covenant or contract? Read More »
“There is an infinitely better way to address the needs of people with serious illnesses [than physician-assisted suicide]. Our society should embrace what Pope John Paul II called “the way of love and true mercy”—a readiness to surround patients with love, support, and companionship, providing the assistance needed to ease their physical, emotional, and spiritual
… factors that influence decision makers’ perceptions of prognosis … Boyd et al sought to determine what sources of knowledge family members/decision makers use when determining the prognosis of their loved ones. “Less than 2% (3 of 179) of surrogates reported that their beliefs about the patients’ prognoses hinged exclusively on prognostic information provided to
it’s not just what the doctor tells me … Read More »
… in a recent conference Diane Meier discusses her experience re assisted suicide … transcript of key passage … video of her entire talk … “And as I got a bit older and had more experience taking care of patients and families, and realizing autonomy was not really relevant to the human condition – We
diane meier on community … Read More »
… MacAuley’s excellent essay on “Patients who make ‘wrong’ choices” … ”Ironically, for all of palliative care’s talk of total suffering, we may be unwilling to accept that a patient’s emotional suffering over choosing a palliative course of treatment may be more severe than eventual projected physical suffering from an aggressive course … In the
dylan thomas … & the palliative care box … Read More »
… 2010 Annual Report … The vast majority of the 72 persons who killed themselves did so for reasons of control and autonomy – not intractable suffering (p. 7) The vast minority (2 of the 72) underwent any kind of mental health evaluation. related posts here and here …
washington state’s experience with assisted suicide … Read More »
… Robert Vischer summarizes the health care conscience situation since the administration’s recent release of its conscience regs.
conscience regs update … Read More »
… we are social beings … relational … on our death bed, all we will have is our relationships. “Everyone’s identity is socially created: it’s through your relationships that you understand yourself as a mother or a father, a teacher or an accountant, a hero or a villain.” Hellhole – Atul Gawande – New Yorker
gawande on solitary confinement … Read More »
Constantine the Emperor, afflicted with leprosy, was advised to bathe himself in the blood of three thousand children as a therapeutic remedy for his illness. However, he refused to do so. This mix of history and legend tells that, after this refusal, he was healed by St. Sylvester, who appeared to him in a dream.
events which recur in history … an anachronism … ? Read More »
… a true scientist. A presentation at the New York Encounter this weekend. The life and work of the great geneticist and doctor through the eyes of his daughter, Clara Gaymard. A unique occasion to know about Dr. Lejeune’s life, scientific work, and discoveries directly from his daughter; how he lived the unity between his
