Tag: humanism in medicine

Letters from Kaohsiung

Mrs. H’s kidneys had failed. She had also developed severe anemia necessitating a blood transfusion, a procedure which she had refused. Dr. Tsao was somewhat perplexed. Patients in Taiwan don’t typically refuse treatment. If anything, they tend to agree with the physician out of deference and decide later not to carry out the ‘doctors orders.’ Rather than resorting to force of authority, however, Dr. Tsao simply turned to the patient and asked a simple question – Why? Continue reading Letters from Kaohsiung

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Variante XXI (English translation)

At the operating room he found his patient: a little girl. She had already received the appropriate liquids, and machines had been installed on her body. Thus, he began. “Scalpel.” “Forceps.” “Suture.” Everything was quick to arrive. He was sweating. “Her heart, doctor,” he heard. Come on! Answer me! he whispered as his hand pressed and released, pressed and released, pressed and released the small heart. Wake up! Wake up! Come on, wake up,  for goodness’ sake!  Continue reading Variante XXI (English translation)

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Variante XXI

En sala, se encontró con que su paciente era una niña. Ya le habían suministrado los líquidos e instalado las máquinas. Y comenzó. “Escarpelo”. “Pinzas”. “Hilo”. Todo le llegaba al instante. Sudaba. “El corazón, doctor”, oyó. Vamos, responde, murmuraba mientras con su mano oprimía y soltaba, oprimía y soltaba, oprimía y soltaba al pequeño corazón. ¡Reacciona! ¡Reacciona! ¡¡Por Dios, reacciona!! Y por varios minutos el equipo que lo asistía observó cómo insistía en aquel masaje aun cuando el agudo chillido del monitor se prolongaba. Continue reading Variante XXI

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