Art of Healing, Medicine and Humanity

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 56-60
Author(s):  
Parvez Imam
Keyword(s):  
Important Symptom ◽  
Pain And Suffering ◽  
World English ◽  
Definition Of

Medicine is the art of relieving others of their suffering. It requires technology and methodologies that science has helped us develop. However the understanding of pain and its impact in peoples' lives and on the society as a whole is often missed out in the skewed focus on the search for happiness (“Definition of happiness - state (British & World English),” n.d.). Pain is an important symptom that serves as a warning as well as a pointer for an illness. Here the authors re-examine the reasons that connect pain and suffering to artists and healers as well as the connection between an artist and a healer. It also dwells on the age old science versus arts argument and its validity.

Evolving Standards for Torture in International Law

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan E. Méndez ◽  
Andra Nicolescu
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Medical Necessity ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
Legal Definition ◽  
Pain And Suffering ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Gray Areas ◽  
Female Genital

The legal definition of torture is not limited to pain and suffering inflicted during interrogation or as punishment. Other practices, like domestic violence and female genital mutilation, have gradually been incorporated into the definition of torture and other ill-treatment. The absolute prohibition of torture extends to practices justified on grounds of “medical necessity” or “therapeutic purpose,” but which nevertheless inflict pain crossing the requisite threshold of severity, including the denial of pain relief and legally available abortions, or practices affecting persons with psychosocial disabilities or suffering from drug addiction. This chapter illustrates the gray areas where health care and the prohibited infliction of pain collide, discussing the rapidly evolving legal definition of torture and concepts like legal capacity, consent, and medical necessity. It recognizes that international law on the subject is far from settled, especially with regard to standards enacted by the recent Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities.

Responses to “An Ethical Analysis of the Barriers to Effective Pain Management” by Ben A. Rich (CQ Vol 9, No 1)

2001 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-96
Author(s):  
Claire Brett
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Pain Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ethical Analysis ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Decent People ◽  
Serious Crime ◽  
The World ◽  
Pain And Suffering ◽  
Definition Of

Ben Rich, J.D., Ph.D., presents a scholarly, passionate view of the ethics of the “barriers to effective pain management.” His manuscript is detailed, analytical, and compassionate. No reasonable sensitive person, especially a physician committed to caring for patients, can disagree with the proposal that human beings should have their physical, emotional, and spiritual pain tended to aggressively, meticulously, and compassionately. Similarly, the same individuals advocating for such pain management would agree that no one should go to jail unless he or she is guilty of a serious crime, that decent people should not be robbed or murdered, that children should not be hungry or homeless, and that all citizens of the United States deserve healthcare. Our society attempts to achieve these goals. Laws are written, discussed, and approved by state and federal congresses, voted on by citizens, and theoretically upheld by the courts, churches, and decent individuals. But, unless the world suddenly becomes inhabited by virtuous, ethical humans who can unfailingly differentiate “good” from “bad,” then, in spite of an abundance of laws and lawyers, doctors, and nurses, this world will continue to have pain and suffering. And, although we want to hold our doctors, politicians, educators, champion athletes, and others to “higher standards” than the average citizen, it is best to remind ourselves frequently that all humans can be weak and are bound to make imprecise judgments, that there is not a homogenous definition of “good,” that values and religious beliefs are variable.

Case Report: Fulminant Infantile Beriberi: A Report of Six Cases

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madhusudan Samprathi ◽  
Faisal Mohammad ◽  
Sridhar M ◽  
Prakash Ramachandra ◽  
Prakash Vemgal
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Presentation ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Childhood Illnesses ◽  
Important Symptom ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Severe Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Thiamine deficiency disorders are an under-recognized public health problem in low- and middle-income countries. Infantile beriberi, the most important symptom for children, is suspected to significantly contribute to infant mortality and lifelong neurodevelopmental morbidity. Lack of awareness, varied clinical presentation, and lack of a readily available diagnostic marker lead to frequent misdiagnoses. We report six thriving infants who presented with an acute fulminant illness with varied clinical manifestations mimicking common childhood illnesses like pneumonia and sepsis. Four of them presented with the severe cardiovascular form, called Shoshin beriberi, and severe pulmonary arterial hypertension. Empirical intravenous thiamine administered to four of the six infants resulted in dramatic recovery. Awareness of the clinical definition of infantile beriberi and treatment with empirical thiamine can be lifesaving.

scholarly journals Humane endpoint in mice by Brazilian researchers in the vaccine sector

2019 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 500-508
Author(s):  
F.R.C. Araujo ◽  
R.L. Paixão
Keyword(s):  
Staff Training ◽  
Animal Testing ◽  
Research Teams ◽  
Vaccine Trials ◽  
Research Profile ◽  
Challenging Tasks ◽  
Pain And Suffering ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Animal Care ◽  
Humane Endpoint

ABSTRACT The application of a humane endpoint (HE) for mice in vaccine trials and further challenging tasks with lethal samples is necessary to reduce or prevent pain and suffering in these animals, and is a refinement of the 3R policy enforced for animal testing in both national and international scenarios. In order to investigate the application of HE in Brazil, researchers from the vaccine sector have answered a questionnaire about their research profile, their usage of HE and their knowledge of its defining criteria, monitoring of animals, staff training, and euthanasia methods employed. The main results revealed that researchers failed to recognise the very concept of HE as well as when to apply it. In addition, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs) failed upon giving their approval to the trials. HE is an important refinament of animal testing policy, and these results highlight the need for a clear pre-established definition of when and how it should be implemented in order to ensure more effective application. Furthermore, it is important to clarify the ethics involved and the commitment of both the research teams and IACUCs to animal welfare.

scholarly journals A problematic Israeli High Court dismissal of a torture complaint. A commentary by Hans Draminsky Petersen, MD

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-102
Author(s):  
Hans Draminsky Petersen
Keyword(s):  
Burden Of Proof ◽  
Medical Evidence ◽  
High Court ◽  
Pain And Suffering ◽  
Istanbul Protocol ◽  
Definition Of

It is not for the documenting medical experts (Shir, 2019), but for the court to decide whether the level of pain and suffering inflicted reaches the threshold of torture [while disregarding ill-treatment], i.e., the court upholds the prerogative to apply its own interpretation of the definition of torture, no matter existing medical evidence and disregarding the Istanbul Protocol. The criteria used to determine the level of FT's pain and suffering does not appear in the ruling. The ruling states that the burden of proof that the "means" were not reasonable [constituting torture] falls upon the petitioner (para 36). In the light of the above (1, a-h) this is in practice impossible for the petitioner to establish. This aligns with Shir’s statement that no ISA interrogator has been indicted in 1200 torture complaints.

scholarly journals Compensation for Non-Economic Loss, the Tort-Liability Insurance System, and the 21st Century

2005 ◽  
Vol 39 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 571-598
Author(s):  
Roger C. Henderson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Economic Loss ◽  
The United States ◽  
Liability Insurance ◽  
Tort Liability ◽  
Auto Insurance ◽  
Insurance System ◽  
Pain And Suffering ◽  
Definition Of

Tort awards for non-economic loss have grown in an almost geometric progression in the United States since first recognized nearly 150 years ago. Not only have courts constantly expanded the areas in which claimants are permitted to recover pain and suffering awards, but at the same time they have liberalized the definition of pain and suffering itself This may be traced in part from the way the judicial system was designed after the American Revolution, the role of lawyers in the system, and the affluence of the country. Consequently, awards for non-economic loss have taken on ever increasing importance, an importance that does not bode well for the prospects for future adoptions of no-fault auto insurance plans that would curtail such recoveries. This article sketches historical influences on the tort-liability insurance system and summarizes modern developments in the law of damages for non-economic loss in the United States. It then raises questions regarding the prospects for adoption of the federal Choice No-Fault Auto Reform Act now pending in the U.S. Congress, a plan that would offer auto accident victims the choice of being compensated on a no-fault basis, while waiving their right to recover for pain and suffering. It concludes by offering a possible scenario of how future efforts to reform the tort-liability system in the United States may occur as we move into the 21st century.

scholarly journals Torture laid bare

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 434-452
Author(s):  
Annabelle Mooney
Keyword(s):  
Social Welfare ◽  
International Law ◽  
Severe Pain ◽  
The State ◽  
Pain And Suffering ◽  
Benefit Sanctions ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract Torture, while internationally sanctioned, is not well-defined. This paper sets out a Minimal English definition of the crime of ‘torture’ in international law. The four elements of torture are: (1) infliction of severe pain and suffering (2) acting with intent (3) for a purpose (4) by the state. The connection between intention and outcome is considered in the light of presumptions. I then briefly consider the concept of ‘lawful sanctions’ and the UN Standard Minimum Rules that apply to the treatment of prisoners to establish a baseline against which allegations of torture can be measured. Finally, I argue that current regimes of British benefit sanctions, whereby social welfare payments are stopped, may in some cases constitute torture. This argument considers the effects of sanctions and the discourses and ideologies attached to social welfare claimants.

scholarly journals The Deconstruction of a Complex Case of Medical Child Abuse

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 202-211
Author(s):  
Reena Isaac ◽  
Lisa Creamer ◽  
Mike Trent
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Chronically Ill ◽  
Complex Case ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Surgical Interventions ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
Medical Child Abuse ◽  
Pain And Suffering ◽  
Definition Of

Background: Medical child abuse (MCA) is a serious and potentially fatal form of child abuse. The condition of medical child abuse has historically been regarded as a “rare” entity. However, the lack of a standardized definition of medical child abuse may have limited our understanding of the true scope of the problem. Cases may straddle the elements of physical abuse, medical neglect, and psychological abuse. Many cases may have been overlooked as medical child abuse or categorized under another form of child maltreatment, when identified as abuse or neglect. There is no one typical presentation. Medical investigations into suspected cases must be carefully and conservatively conducted. Method and Result: An illustrative case is described involving three young chronically-ill siblings with various degrees of medical dependencies, medical and surgical interventions, and multiple subspecialists and is deconstructed with the final outcome of three physically healthy children and a criminal conviction of the perpetrating caregiver. Conclusion: Cases of child medical abuse can be complex and challenging. Potential complications and sequelae of unidentified cases are vast, including: pain and suffering from multiple, unnecessary procedures, diminished quality of life and life potential, and ultimately risk of death. Challenges to medical and social investigations can hinder early identification and protection of the children at risk.

Introductory paper

1966 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 3-5
Author(s):  
W. W. Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Line Intensity ◽  
Classification Scheme ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Spectral Classification ◽  
Dimensional Array ◽  
Rr Lyrae ◽  
Metallic Line ◽  
Introductory Paper ◽  
Parameter Varying ◽  
Definition Of

1. The definition of “normal” stars in spectral classification changes with time; at the time of the publication of theYerkes Spectral Atlasthe term “normal” was applied to stars whose spectra could be fitted smoothly into a two-dimensional array. Thus, at that time, weak-lined spectra (RR Lyrae and HD 140283) would have been considered peculiar. At the present time we would tend to classify such spectra as “normal”—in a more complicated classification scheme which would have a parameter varying with metallic-line intensity within a specific spectral subdivision.

2.2. Working Group 2: Conceptual Definitions of Reference Coordinate Systems for Earth Dynamics

1975 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 21-26
Keyword(s):  
Coordinate System ◽  
Working Group ◽  
General Character ◽  
Coordinate Systems ◽  
Reference Coordinate System ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Earth Dynamics

An ideal definition of a reference coordinate system should meet the following general requirements:1. It should be as conceptually simple as possible, so its philosophy is well understood by the users.2. It should imply as few physical assumptions as possible. Wherever they are necessary, such assumptions should be of a very general character and, in particular, they should not be dependent upon astronomical and geophysical detailed theories.3. It should suggest a materialization that is dynamically stable and is accessible to observations with the required accuracy.

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