Robert Martensen ' s A Life Worth Living

Robert Martensen,A Life Worth Living: A Doctor ' s Reflections on Illness in a High-Tech Era (New York: Farrar, Straus& Giroux, 2008).    In recent years, doubtless because of the anxious disquiet of so many who have witnessed experiences of their friends and families, books examining “end-of-life issues” have become so numerous as almost to constitute a little genre of their own. At first glance, Dr. Martensen’s book appears to fall neatly within this category. The emergency physician and medical historian recounts numerous memorable patient stories, discusses technology o veruse at end of life and the ambiguities of " medical futility " when most doctors have seen the occasional almost-miraculous recovery, and says he wants the book to assist those with “difficult choices.” Martensen is perceptive and balanced about the terrors and disruptions of serious chronic illness, and its shifting, confusing territory, and I think the book is of real potential use – as he wishes – to those facing advanced illness.But though parts ofA Life Worth Living are a worthwhile contribution to this sub-genre, the book as a whole – as its title indicates – is more: a broad reflection on whatdoes make life worth living, and how dealing with the inevitable distresses of life can go much better or worse depending both on personal meanings, efforts, and decisions and also on societal conditions (including realities of the medical system).Martensen does not confi...
Source: Health Care Renewal - Category: Health Management Source Type: blogs