She intensifies her point, and provides evidence for the fact that this
is not merely her own personal opinion, but rather more far-reaching in
medicine, when she describes what she is told when learning about a treatable,
curable illness: “And this one really makes you feel like a doctor.” The true
sense of physician only comes with cure, but Klass, and many other physicians
come to realize that there exists much they cannot cure. Because of this, Klass
argues for emphasis on such things as preventative medicine and “life-style
issues” —an argument that remarkably resembles the holistic manner of care
presented in Pinel’s article. As the best method to teach medicine, Pinel
advocates the training of the physician as a comforter, as well as a healer. He
remarks on a number of psychological remedies which result in the increased
comfort of the patient. His argument stems from the belief that despair leads
patients to an early demise, and that positive thought aids in recovery and
cure. Comfort and activity, resulting in mental well-being are indispensable
tools of the physician in his attempt to alleviate illness. Klass laments the
fact that modern physicians, in the face of failing diagnosis or treatment,
request more tests and more adventurous invasive procedures, rather than
adjusting to a role of comforter and caretaker. Pinel advocates only the
simplest medications and interventions in an attempt to cure, and notes that
most often, as in the example of Hippocrates, diet is the source of cure. Pinel
does not waiver from his pursuit of cure, but his methods incorporate a more
holistic and comforting manner in which to seek it—more holistic and comforting
than the manner in which Klass observes its search in modern medicine. An odd,
but unmistakable parallel begins to emerge from a comparison of these two works
by Klass and Pinel.
While medicine supposedly advances as history progresses,
certain vital aspects are noticeably missing. Advances have led to some
understanding, as evidenced by Klass, that the search for cure should not serve
as the model for the role of the physician. The implications of this
understanding, however, do not manifest themselves in modern medicine, where a
failure to cure represents a failure of medicine, and a failure on the part of
the physician. Without the benefits of technology and, more importantly, without
the benefits of the radically influential ideas of Heisenberg and others, Pinel
hopes and writes assuming that every cure can be found through careful scrutiny
and observation. He also writes knowing that physicians in his day do not
successfully cure all patients. It seems that from this practical knowledge,
Pinel derives his argument for a holistic approach to medicine: “train their
judgment rather than their memory and inspire them with that noble enthusiasm
for the healing art that masters all difficulties.” Technology has afforded
modern medicine with the illusion that more tests and more procedures can cure
the patient—an illusion not too far removed from that of Pinel. Unfortunately,
in the case of modern medicine, the need for more holistic methods of
care-giving, as illustrated in the writings of Klass, remains unsatisfied,
despite evidence indicating that even the most precise observation and care
cannot solve all problems. While progress in medicine has left unparalleled
technology and knowledge at the disposal of the modern physician, it has left
behind a holistic and comforting manner of care that would greatly enrich the
role of the physician and medicine.
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