[Survival is not enough: taking care of the patient as a whole].
The ill deserve holistic care including assistance for the anxiety and fear generated by his illness. Illness may be viewed as a call for help, as the nocturnal side of life, or as a product of culture. All moments of the illness are precious, and its last instants may even reveal the infinite. The Western world is afraid of death--even now that our lives get longer--and abates the fear by removing the idea of death, even if poets have emphasized the richness it carries within.
De Santo
R M
RM
Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Filosofici, Naples, Italy. bluetoblue@libero.it
D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D010684:Philosophy; D013534:Survival; D013795:Thanatology