Disability After Real or Alleged Venous Thrombosis

Abstract

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 patient's 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.§