The Healer's Art: A Case Study

Monica was a middle aged woman who was facing difficulties breathing. For this reason, she made a visit to the hospital and then, subsequently, made an appointment to have an x-ray two days later; however, the next night, her condition suddenly got a whole lot worse and she was placed in the ICU to be intubated and sedated. A bronchoscopy discovered an incurable tumor in her throat, one that would leave Monica only able to be put on life-sustaining treatment with a life-expectancy of three more months. The doctor and team looking over Monica was then forced to decide between trying to treat Monica without her knowledge, not treating Monica and letting her die, or waking her up and telling her about her condition (SLA pg. 68-69). As Eric Cassell states in The Healer’s Art, the doctor’s main purpose is to return control back to the patient. When a patient becomes ill, the reason why they approach a hospital for help is in order remove the illness from them with the help of the doctor. The reason why they want the illness gone is partly to remove the suffering that comes along with it, but mostly so their lives can go back to the way it was before the illness. By being hindered by the illness and not being able to work, go to school, or plainly enjoying life the way they used to, people feel like the illness placed on them has taken control of …show more content…
Regarding the scenario of taking Monica off of the life-sustaining treatment and, unbeknownst to her, keeping her alive while sedated, both run the risk of taking the route opposite of what Monica wanted. By waking up Monica, the doctors would find out which plan Monica desired the most and take that plan which ends up being the most beneficial to her. If she ends up desiring to end her life at that point, then the doctors may place her on DNR and allow her to pass