Edward M. Litin

Should the Cancer Patient Be Told

The type and location of a malignancy; how a patient reacts to stress, as judged by previous experiences; the ability of the physician to be understanding and consistently supportive; the type of therapy necessary, etc., all have a bearing on whether or not a patient should be told he has cancer.Studies have shown that most patients want to know whether or not they have cancer, and it has been determined that each patient has a legal right to know the truth.The author presents arguments to support the contention that with few exceptions patients should be told of this diagnosis.

Disability after real or alleged venous thrombosis.

The authors here present an extremely timely and practical discussion of the problem of iatrogenicity. The principles of etiology and correction they elucidate have generality far beyond the syndrome of “postphlebitic psychoneurosis.” Managing the patients interpretation of the portents of his illness often requires more attention than the medical aspects of the condition itself; yet the preventive and rehabilitative results justify the effort. This article emphasizes particularly well the fact that in treating any illness, we are treating the sum total of the patient. His general life orientation, fund of correct and incorrect information, specific eccentricities and fears, and past contacts with the medical profession profoundly influence the course of his illness and recovery.—Franklin G. Ebaugh, M.D.§