A Point of Conflict in Medicine
As mentioned by James in his post, the field of
medicine is rife with restrictions, conflict, and moral dilemma. Difficult decisions have to be made regarding
ethics, but oftentimes the cold, seemingly unfeeling conclusion is the only one
to be drawn. Such strenuous situations can
incite all manner of negative emotions and feelings—both in the doctor and in
the patient.
Topics of Invention in Medicine
Among the sick and afflicted, certain predicaments
present themselves with solutions that are often seen as questionable. In the case of narcotics, patients must
decide firstly whether or not the sacrifice of full consciousness (and possibly
morality) is worth the potential healing through the drugs. Similarly, the doctor is also presented with
the issue of right and wrong, and whether or not the risk of overdosing or
addiction is too strong in a patient. A
potential instance of this could be:
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| Sometimes the standard is not enough. This is where conflict sets in. |
Doctor:
"The only way that you can be helped at this point if by the use of
narcotics to help alleviate pain, but there is not much else that I can
suggest."
Patient:
"No! I don't want to throw away
reality and my own ability to properly think.
Hampering that in any way causes me to shudder. On top of that, the notion seems to me to be
one of direct opposition to my religious beliefs. It's wrong
to me."
Doctor:
"There is no known cure for your condition at this time, so the only
assistance that I can provide is to lessen the severity of it. Rest assured, I would not prescribe you with
anything of lethal or harmful effect, but there is nothing else to be
done. I will not force you, but if you
want any relief at all, then this is the only option I can provide."
Patient:
"You've shown me the facts and I can't argue that this would be the only
way as of now. I want to take this
avenue, but it goes against everything that I hold dear to me. It's the principle!"
Analysis:
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| Would these clone troopers be able to provide patients with proper reassurance as to medical prescriptions and diagnoses? Or, rather, would they simply force their views upon others? Would this be right or wrong to do? |
The doctor made the distinction between there being
legally right and wrong scenarios in order to most remedy the situation, while
the patient was trapped in the morality of the two. Along those same lines of the special topics
of invention, there was also the problem of what was advantageous and what was
disadvantageous. Benefits and drawbacks
existed on both the judicial and deliberative sides of the spectrum. In addition, under these circumstances, the
common topics of invention of cause and effect, laws, documents, and
authorities gain increased potency in their relevance and application. Clearly laying out a path of logic via these
strengthened common topics can be used to persuade an otherwise unwilling
patient to make a decision on the use of narcotics in treatment.
