The Physician's Responsibility toward Hopelessly Ill Patients

Duncan S. Maclean; Ronald Anderson; Max J. Coppes; Ulrich Rappen; Richard E. George; John P. Dormans; Melanie Ann Kirby; Diana Mills-Tettey; Joseph Kapelushnik; Abdullah Alherbish; Hatem Khammash; Francisco Bravo; Michael Shields; Peter Wilson; Isabelle Robieux; Marjorie Pawling Kaplan; Patrice M. O'connor; Harold Rosen; Sally W. Greer; James R. Boyce; Frances A. Graves; Geoffrey Modest; Frank J. Brescia; Michael J. Brescia; James E. Cimino; Carlos F. Gomez; Joanne Lynn; Sanford A. Marcus; Michael D. Boehm; Sidney H. Wanzer; Daniel D. Federman; James Adelstein; Christine K. Cassel; Edwin H. Cassem; Ronald E. Cranford; Edward W. Hook; Bernard lo; Charles G. Moertel; Peter Safar; Alan Stone; Jan Van Eys

doi:10.1056/NEJM198910053211415

The Physician's Responsibility toward Hopelessly Ill Patients

Duncan S. Maclean, Ronald Anderson, Max J. Coppes, Ulrich Rappen, Richard E. George, John P. Dormans, Melanie Ann Kirby, Diana Mills-Tettey, Joseph Kapelushnik, Abdullah Alherbish, Hatem Khammash, Francisco Bravo, Michael Shields, Peter Wilson, Isabelle Robieux, Marjorie Pawling Kaplan, Patrice M. O'connor, Harold Rosen, Sally W. Greer, James R. BoyceFrances A. Graves, Geoffrey Modest, Frank J. Brescia, Michael J. Brescia, James E. Cimino, Carlos F. Gomez, Joanne Lynn, Sanford A. Marcus, Michael D. Boehm, Sidney H. Wanzer, Daniel D. Federman, James Adelstein, Christine K. Cassel, Edwin H. Cassem, Ronald E. Cranford, Edward W. Hook, Bernard lo, Charles G. Moertel, Peter Safar, Alan Stone, Jan Van Eys

Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › peer-review

Abstract

To the Editor: Wanzer and colleagues' thorough review of the physician's responsibility toward dying patients (March 30 issue)¹ could have been even more helpful in two ways. First, it could have explicitly acknowledged that it is not chiefly the technical aspects of caring for the dying patient that “tax the ingenuity and equanimity of the most skilled health professionals.” Rather, it is the existential aspects, because they impinge on the physician as a person, not just as a professional in a social role. The white-coated professional technician is challenged to formulate prognoses with sometimes ambiguous data, to adjust constantly the…

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	975-978
Number of pages	4
Journal	New England Journal of Medicine
Volume	321
Issue number	14
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM198910053211415
State	Published - 5 Oct 1989
Externally published	Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Medicine

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10.1056/NEJM198910053211415

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Maclean, D. S., Anderson, R., Coppes, M. J., Rappen, U., George, R. E., Dormans, J. P., Kirby, M. A., Mills-Tettey, D., Kapelushnik, J., Alherbish, A., Khammash, H., Bravo, F., Shields, M., Wilson, P., Robieux, I., Kaplan, M. P., O'connor, P. M., Rosen, H., Greer, S. W., ... Eys, J. V. (1989). The Physician's Responsibility toward Hopelessly Ill Patients. New England Journal of Medicine, 321(14), 975-978. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM198910053211415

@article{9ce19dbb30664bc898fe3dd4da2aab10,

title = "The Physician's Responsibility toward Hopelessly Ill Patients",

abstract = "To the Editor: Wanzer and colleagues' thorough review of the physician's responsibility toward dying patients (March 30 issue)1 could have been even more helpful in two ways. First, it could have explicitly acknowledged that it is not chiefly the technical aspects of caring for the dying patient that “tax the ingenuity and equanimity of the most skilled health professionals.” Rather, it is the existential aspects, because they impinge on the physician as a person, not just as a professional in a social role. The white-coated professional technician is challenged to formulate prognoses with sometimes ambiguous data, to adjust constantly the…",

author = "Maclean, {Duncan S.} and Ronald Anderson and Coppes, {Max J.} and Ulrich Rappen and George, {Richard E.} and Dormans, {John P.} and Kirby, {Melanie Ann} and Diana Mills-Tettey and Joseph Kapelushnik and Abdullah Alherbish and Hatem Khammash and Francisco Bravo and Michael Shields and Peter Wilson and Isabelle Robieux and Kaplan, {Marjorie Pawling} and O'connor, {Patrice M.} and Harold Rosen and Greer, {Sally W.} and Boyce, {James R.} and Graves, {Frances A.} and Geoffrey Modest and Brescia, {Frank J.} and Brescia, {Michael J.} and Cimino, {James E.} and Gomez, {Carlos F.} and Joanne Lynn and Marcus, {Sanford A.} and Boehm, {Michael D.} and Wanzer, {Sidney H.} and Federman, {Daniel D.} and James Adelstein and Cassel, {Christine K.} and Cassem, {Edwin H.} and Cranford, {Ronald E.} and Hook, {Edward W.} and Bernard lo and Moertel, {Charles G.} and Peter Safar and Alan Stone and Eys, {Jan Van}",

year = "1989",

month = oct,

day = "5",

doi = "10.1056/NEJM198910053211415",

language = "English",

volume = "321",

pages = "975--978",

journal = "New England Journal of Medicine",

issn = "0028-4793",

publisher = "Massachussetts Medical Society",

number = "14",

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Maclean, DS, Anderson, R, Coppes, MJ, Rappen, U, George, RE, Dormans, JP, Kirby, MA, Mills-Tettey, D, Kapelushnik, J, Alherbish, A, Khammash, H, Bravo, F, Shields, M, Wilson, P, Robieux, I, Kaplan, MP, O'connor, PM, Rosen, H, Greer, SW, Boyce, JR, Graves, FA, Modest, G, Brescia, FJ, Brescia, MJ, Cimino, JE, Gomez, CF, Lynn, J, Marcus, SA, Boehm, MD, Wanzer, SH, Federman, DD, Adelstein, J, Cassel, CK, Cassem, EH, Cranford, RE, Hook, EW, lo, B, Moertel, CG, Safar, P, Stone, A & Eys, JV 1989, 'The Physician's Responsibility toward Hopelessly Ill Patients', New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 321, no. 14, pp. 975-978. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM198910053211415

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Physician's Responsibility toward Hopelessly Ill Patients

AU - Maclean, Duncan S.

AU - Anderson, Ronald

AU - Coppes, Max J.

AU - Rappen, Ulrich

AU - George, Richard E.

AU - Dormans, John P.

AU - Kirby, Melanie Ann

AU - Mills-Tettey, Diana

AU - Kapelushnik, Joseph

AU - Alherbish, Abdullah

AU - Khammash, Hatem

AU - Bravo, Francisco

AU - Shields, Michael

AU - Wilson, Peter

AU - Robieux, Isabelle

AU - Kaplan, Marjorie Pawling

AU - O'connor, Patrice M.

AU - Rosen, Harold

AU - Greer, Sally W.

AU - Boyce, James R.

AU - Graves, Frances A.

AU - Modest, Geoffrey

AU - Brescia, Frank J.

AU - Brescia, Michael J.

AU - Cimino, James E.

AU - Gomez, Carlos F.

AU - Lynn, Joanne

AU - Marcus, Sanford A.

AU - Boehm, Michael D.

AU - Wanzer, Sidney H.

AU - Federman, Daniel D.

AU - Adelstein, James

AU - Cassel, Christine K.

AU - Cassem, Edwin H.

AU - Cranford, Ronald E.

AU - Hook, Edward W.

AU - lo, Bernard

AU - Moertel, Charles G.

AU - Safar, Peter

AU - Stone, Alan

AU - Eys, Jan Van

PY - 1989/10/5

Y1 - 1989/10/5

N2 - To the Editor: Wanzer and colleagues' thorough review of the physician's responsibility toward dying patients (March 30 issue)1 could have been even more helpful in two ways. First, it could have explicitly acknowledged that it is not chiefly the technical aspects of caring for the dying patient that “tax the ingenuity and equanimity of the most skilled health professionals.” Rather, it is the existential aspects, because they impinge on the physician as a person, not just as a professional in a social role. The white-coated professional technician is challenged to formulate prognoses with sometimes ambiguous data, to adjust constantly the…

AB - To the Editor: Wanzer and colleagues' thorough review of the physician's responsibility toward dying patients (March 30 issue)1 could have been even more helpful in two ways. First, it could have explicitly acknowledged that it is not chiefly the technical aspects of caring for the dying patient that “tax the ingenuity and equanimity of the most skilled health professionals.” Rather, it is the existential aspects, because they impinge on the physician as a person, not just as a professional in a social role. The white-coated professional technician is challenged to formulate prognoses with sometimes ambiguous data, to adjust constantly the…

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0024430162&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1056/NEJM198910053211415

DO - 10.1056/NEJM198910053211415

M3 - Letter

AN - SCOPUS:0024430162

SN - 0028-4793

VL - 321

SP - 975

EP - 978

JO - New England Journal of Medicine

JF - New England Journal of Medicine

IS - 14

ER -

The Physician's Responsibility toward Hopelessly Ill Patients

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