Being Mortal By Atul Gawande
Gawande starts by explaining that doctors in general are never trained to tend to the emotional needs of the patient. The only things that he learned was to identify, diagnose, treat and cure diseases that plagued modern medicine. He was trained to understand the complex science behind the human body, not the mind. He did not realize just how relevant emotions are in real life until he started practicing medicine and treating the dying.
There is one case in particular that has a lasting impact on Gawande and changed his world forever. During his stay as a junior surgical resident, Gawande treated a patient by the name of Joseph Lazaroff for cancer. Science had not yet found a cure for his condition, so, not surprisingly, radiation treatment failed. There was only one last option left, and it was to perform surgery on Mr. Lazaroff. While surgery was the only real option left, the doctors were aware there was slim chance of success. In the best case scenario, the surgery would be able to extend his life for a few months, a life confined to a hospital bed. While surgery was an option, it was very high risk. There was a good chance that Mr. Lazaroff would not survive the surgery and on top of that, post-surgery complications were severe. The doctors presented the options to Mr. Lazaroff, and he chose the surgery thinking that it was his best solution. The surgery was performed and two weeks later, Mr. Lazaroff passed away due to complications from the surgery.
Looking back at this story, Gawande expresses that there was a failure of the doctors to fully comprehend the reality of Mr. Lazaroff’s situation, as well as their own abilities. According to Gawande, the surgery was destined to fail before it even began. The doctors chose not to fully confront this reality of a failure, and hoped blindly for a miracle. The doctors were not able to fully communicate their concerns with the surgery to the patient. Gawande states that the real problem was not the doctors involved, the real problem lay with the professional medical institutions that granted their licenses. They were never taught to provide emotional support for a dying patient. They were never even taught to face the reality of a dying person. Gawande states that doctors are not to blame for cases like this, instead the modern medical system of schooling is. Medical schools do not prepare graduates with the training necessary for the realities of a patient’s death.
Gawande’s book is an examination of how an honest and conscious look at the realities and experiences of the dying can serve to benefit them. Sometimes there is no treatment, remedy, or surgery that can save a life. It is during these times that modern medicine has no answer, and continues put lives in a greater risk than necessary, when they need to face reality and provide the best possible solution.
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