… 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 »
… Giorgio Israel in “Medicine Between Humanism and Mechanism” in Journal of Medicine and the Person discusses important foundational issues pertinent to the daily practice of medicine. “Radically objectivistic medicine replaces the idea of “cure/treatment” with the idea of “repair”. It stops listening to the patient and renders the role of clinical practice drastically marginal
medicine … between art & science … Read More »
… Kross et. al. in “Social rejection shares somatosensory representations with physical pain” use functional MRI to show that “rejection [recent break-up of a relationship] and physical pain are similar not only in that they are both distressing—they share a common somatosensory representation as well.” Pain is what the patient says it is … but
breaking up is painful … Read More »
… Gawande writes about ‘hot spotters’ … “An important idea is getting its test run in America: the creation of intensive outpatient care to target hot spots, and thereby reduce over-all health-care costs.” A common factor these programs share is intense one-on-one care and accompaniment by an interdisciplinary team … “My philosophy about primary care
patients only a mother could love … Read More »
… Gerard Manley Hopkins … The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo (Maiden’s song from St. Winefred’s Well) The Leaden Echo How to kéep—is there ány any, is there none such, nowhere known some, bow or brooch or braid or brace, láce, latch or catch or key to keep Back beauty, keep it, beauty, beauty,
the leaden echo and the golden echo … Read More »
… Frank Davidoff in a recent Annals of Internal Medicine “Music Lessons” … “Recognition of music’s laserlike focus on performance could help us regain a more appropriate balance in medicine between knowledge and performance (between knowing and knowing how).” Perfect practice makes perfect … “Endless performance without feedback drifts into stagnation, whereas endless reflecting and
what musicians can teach doctors … Read More »
Manuel Jimenez Prieto (Aranda) (1848-1904) – Visit at the hospital. Jean Martin Charcot (probably) auscultates a patient. Oil on canvas, 1897 “Medicine was born as an Art; it has been defined by scientific features only after Hippocrates. Science itself, anyway, is bounded to art. They share the same claim: to know the essence of reality
curiosity and desire … Read More »
… Leon Fleisher … who recently played and gave Master Classes at Wichita State University. Fleisher’s own story is a powerful tale of death and resurrection which he tells in his memoirs My Nine Lives. A rising pianistic prodigy, he suffered focal dystonia in his ‘30’s and his (one) career was cut short. He continued
“music begins where words stop … “ Read More »
Janssen and Macleod in Pall & Supportive Care talk to patients and their caregivers about how doctors do (or do not) care for them as individuals. “Building a caring human relationship begins with doctors recognizing themselves and each patient as individuals first and foremost. A connection invited on that level provides a firm base on
What does care mean …? Read More »
