Death and Dignity

In a Sounding Board essay, a physician recounts his experience with\nan adult patient diagnosed with acute myelomonocytic leukemia. After the\npatient refused chemotherapy that offered a 25% chance of a long-term cure,\nshe asked the physician's help in planning suicide. Quill, who describes\nhimself as a long-time advocate of active, informed patient choice of\ntreatment and nontreatment, and of a patient's right to die with as much\ncontrol and dignity as possible, dicusses his indirect role in his patient's\ndeath. (KIE abstract)