Kinzel T
Department of Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing.
Geriatrics. 1988 Jun;43(6):83-4, 87-9.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Few areas of medicine offer the physician such an opportunity for relieving suffering as in the care of the terminally ill. Usually, it is clear that the patient will die from the disease days or weeks before the event occurs. Treatments are available to significantly relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life in virtually all cancer patients. "The quality of mercy is essential to the practice of medicine; here, of all places, it should not be strained."
癌症是美国第二大致死原因。在医学领域，很少有其他领域能像照顾绝症患者那样，为医生提供减轻患者痛苦的机会。通常情况下，在患者去世前几天或几周，就能明确其会死于该疾病。几乎所有癌症患者都有可用的治疗方法来显著缓解症状并提高生活质量。“慈悲之心对于医疗实践至关重要；在这个领域，尤其不应有所欠缺。”
