Death and Dignity: Making Choices and Taking Charge

A University of Rochester professor of medicine and psychiatry and former medical director of a hospice, Quill contends that the care of people with terminal illnesses is among the ``highest callings'' of physicians. But, he argues, medical institutions as well as the legal system wrongly limit the choices available to such patients. Unsentimentally relating stories from his own practice and those of colleagues, Quill explains the various options afforded by living wills, health care proxies and ``comfort care'' (treatment limited to alleviating patient suffering). While he avers that ``I would be willing to fight substantial medical battles to continue living,'' Quill defines certain circumstances under which a rational patient should have the right to choose death and to enlist the aid of a physician to ensure ``death with dignity.'' Quill's perceptive, empathetic exploration will help readers to make informed decisions in tragic situations. (Mar.)