The Physician's Attitude towards the End of the Existence

The physician's attitude towards death, a phenomenon which he frequently encounters in his work practice, is most of the times ambiguous, uncertain, lacking a philosophical significance coherent enough. During the period corresponding to the transition from life to death, when the human being who is about to relinquish life for good lives, suffers, understands and needs assistance, most of the physicians adopt a particular detachment conduct. The physician's participation in assisting the patient, constant until then, natural, sharply decreases the moment the diagnosis has become, "there is nothing else to be done". This phrase "there is nothing else to be done" should be only the conclusion of one phase of the assistance given by a physician, the curative, healing assistance and the beginning of another one, the phase of "assisting the dying person", a phase that has to be an integral part of the physician's mission which represents a more difficult medicine, much more demanding for the physician. At this point, assistance, treatments depend on the ability of the person providing assistance to endure the fear of death in which he is included himself. The necessity of meeting the needs of the dying people has led to the drafting of "a charter of the rights of the dying". Such charter was drafted during the symposium, "Terminally ill patient and helping person" organized by Wayne State University, Detroit, USA. Taking into account the idea that the dying person "has the right to live until the end" within the best possible conditions the palliative care have been developed. According to the French Society of Palliative Care, 1996, the palliative care aim is to ensuring the patient's quality of life (and not extending it by any means) and that of his family. In these conditions the pain control, the psychological, social and spiritual development are essential.