ENIGMA page 59
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ner, director of medicine at
Queens Hospital Center in Ja-
maica, N.Y.; Rabbi Yisroel
Rokowsky, the author of books
on Jewish medical ethics and
dean of Ohr Somayach Rabbini-
cal College in Monsey, N.Y.; Rab-
bi Shraga Rothbart, senior
lecturer of Ohr Somayach; Dr.
Debra Reinitz, senior staff physi-
cian of internal medicine; and Dr.
Emanuel Reinitz, chief of trans-
plant surgery at the Detroit Med-
ical Center.
The conference was attended
by physicians of many different
specialties. Dr. Leonard Rosen,
medical director of mental-health
services at Macomb Hospital and
psychiatric consultant for the
Jewish Home for Aged, thought
that combining a meeting on
medical ethics with a tradition-
al Jewish Sabbath was both ed-
ucational and emotionally
inspiring.
"I used to think that science
was in conflict with religion," Dr.
Rosen said. "Now I use more Jew-
ish concepts in my work. As tech-
nology increases, I feel the need
to better understand my Jewish
heritage. The decisions I make im-
pact the lives of my patients."
Dr. Janet Snider, a pediatri-
cian, described the conference as
"a wonderful experience." She
"would like to invite more physi-
cians to participate."
Dr. Mark Faber, a nephrolo-
gist, was especially interested in
the topic of transplants and eu-
thanasia. Many of the issues dis-
cussed are relevant to his
patients.
Throughout the conference;
the rabbis stressed the infinite
value of every human being. Jew-
ish medical ethics takes into ac-
count the body and soul of every
living being, they said. Ideally,
in difficult cases, the physician
and patient will consult a rabbi
knowledgeable in medical Ha-
lachah to determine the proper
course of action. ❑
The Terminally III:
To Treat, Or Not
D.J. BRADLEY SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
I
n the eyes of Jewish law, a
doctor should let a patient die
with dignity. The question is,
where do physicians draw the
line between keeping patients
alive and alleviating pain and let-
ting individuals pass on in a dig-
nified manner?
"A doctor can do no
more than relieve pain
after he has done
everything for the pa-
tient in regard to tests,
etc. Then it's up to the
doctor as to where he
determines to draw the
line," says Dr. Fred
Rosner, director of the
department of medicine
at the Queens Hospital
in Jamaica, N.Y.
Dr. Rosner spoke
about the treatment and
non-treatment of the
terminally ill at one of
the workshops on
medical ethics spon-
sored by Machon
L'Torah.
Dr. Rosner stressed
that physicians' moral
obligation to their pa-
tients is to heal, al-
leviate pain and
make them
comfortable.
He noted
that there
will be in-
stances where there is
nothing a physician can
do for a patient. He stressed that
physicians must not assist in the
death of a patient no matter what
the burden of pain is to the in-
dividual or family.
"You can't kill someone to al-
leviate his mental or physical suf-
fering. Every patient has a right
to know his diagnosis, and every
patient should meet death when
it's time. According to tradition-
al Jewish thinking, a doctor has
no right to shorten a life," Dr.
Rosner said.
Irina Fiksman, a psychia-
trist in West Bloomfield, felt
that her patients who have
faced terminal illness were
not so much afraid of death
but more fearful of feeling
abandoned.
"Physical suffering can be
alleviated through prescrip-
tions, but the comfort in
knowing they will not be
alone is most impor-
tant," she said.
•
Dr. Rosner cit-
ed that many
states have le-
gal provisions
for living
wills that are
signed by pa-
tients before
they become debilitated. The
legally binding docu-
ment instructs physi-
cians to do nothing to
continue the patient's
life by any artificial
means.
"How far should a doctor
go? It's a question we've grappled
with for centuries and will con-
tinue to debate for centuries to
come," says Dr. Rosner ❑