The Sanctity of Social Life: Physicians Treatment of Critically Ill Patients [Paperback]

For years, speculation has been mounting among lawyers, church leaders, social scientists, and the general public over the question of prolongation of life and the critically ill patient's right to die. But what is the physician's attitude toward this controversial subject? Under what conditions does a doctor battle to save the life of the patient, and when does he decide to withdraw medical treatment and allow death to occur? The answers to these questions form the basis of this book, a fascinating examination of the nature of death and dying, as seen from the physician' point of view.

For years, speculation has been mounting among lawyers, church leaders, social scientists, and the general public over the question of prolongation of life and the critically ill patient's right to die1: Introduction; 2: Controversy and the Clinical Mentality; I: Criteria for Decision-Making; 3: Decisions to Treat Critically Ill Patients; 4: The Terminal Patient; 5: Decision-Making Viewed Through Hospital Records; II: Sources of Variation Among Physicians; 6: Context for Decision-Making; 7: The Active Physician; 8: Departmental Dynamics and the Development of New Medical Technology; 9: ConclusionUS? 1977 Russell Sage Foundation