Schreiber H W
Langenbecks Arch Chir Suppl Kongressbd. 1996;113:457-66.
Ageing is not a disease; it does not necessarily imply physical and intellectual deterioration. If the possibilities of an adequate training are not exploited the aged person finds himself in a "state of regression". Only the elderly person himself can assess his welfare. His quality of life is not to be objectively judged by others. The elderly person wants to live and to die; he does not fear death but an agonizing death. The limit of surgical treatment is when a patient capable of making his own decision refrains from doing so and the surgeon is certain that there is not even a remote chance of survival. The determination of scientific and clinical limits may be very difficult. This is a question of deliberation, not of ethics.
衰老并非一种疾病；它不一定意味着身体和智力的衰退。如果没有充分利用适当训练的可能性，老年人就会发现自己处于一种“退化状态”。只有老年人自己才能评估自己的幸福。他人不应客观地评判他的生活质量。老年人想要生，也想要死；他不惧怕死亡，而是惧怕痛苦的死亡。手术治疗的限度是当有能力自己做决定的患者克制不做决定，且外科医生确定甚至没有丝毫生存机会的时候。确定科学和临床的限度可能非常困难。这是一个权衡的问题，而非伦理问题。
