This book is written for a broad range of persons who may be involved or interested in the moral issues that relate to dying patients. A few of the articles are specifically relevant to physicians.
The initial article, written by H. Tristam Engelhardt, Jr, MD, PhD, of the Kennedy Institute, Center for Bioethics, explores one of the four major themes of the book—the relationship between the physician and his patient. At a point in history when physicians feel challenged from every sector, it is reassuring to read a piece that addresses the complexity of this issue so thoroughly. At one point he writes that "medicine has become part of society's explicit political response to the general predicament of man." One may not agree with his hypothesis, but one cannot help but benefit from his thoughtful expose.
James F. Toole, MD, LLB, a neurologist at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine,