Issues in Law & Medicine articles from September 1989

Issues in Law & Medicine archives from September 1989

Early prognosis in anoxic coma: an analysis of the major clinical criteria.
September 22, 1989... The Clarence Herbert case(1) has had substantial impact on the care of comatose patients in the state of California and in the nation as a whole, yet the medical details demonstrate the dangers implicit in early coma prognosis. In this article,...

Should nutrition and hydration be provided to permanently unconscious and other mentally disabled persons?
September 22, 1989... The title of this article can be understood either as a legal or as an ethical question. It is treated only insofar as it is an ethical question--that is, a moral issue.(1) But it is the author's hope that this discussion will contribute to the...

Should nutrition and hydration be provided to permanently unconscious and other mentally disabled persons?
September 22, 1989... In this article, issues will be considered concerning the providing or withholding of nutrition and hydration to people who are permanently unconscious, that is, in irreversible coma or in a persistent vegetative state, using the statements...

Is 'substituted judgment' a valid legal concept?
September 22, 1989... In November 1988, Carrie Coons of Rensselaer, New York, suffered a massive stroke and slipped into a coma. Doctors inserted a feeding tube to provide her nourishment; doctors also abandoned hope. They described her condition as an irreversible...

Is 'substituted judgment' a valid legal concept?
September 22, 1989... One of the most significant and controversial subjects in medicine today involves making decisions about the treatment of patients who are incompetent. That this has become a subject for debate at all is a tribute to those doctors and...