Relief of suffering

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The relief of human suffering has been a sacred duty of physicians for thousands of years. Today's focus in medical education, however, is largely confined to the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Yet, without a true understanding and appreciation of the nature of human suffering, sophisticated interventions run the risk of increasing the distress they were meant to alleviate. By combining the art and science of medicine, physicians can often provide tremendous comfort and relief to patients. Dr O'Brien offers some useful suggestions for achieving this goal.

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Mary E. O'Brien

Mary E. O'Brien, MD Dr O'Brien is assistant professor of medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, and director of geriatric services, Coastal Area Health Education Center, Wilmington, North Carolina. She also gives a weekly commentary on medicine, life, and philosophy on WHQR public radio in Wilmington.