Physicians and the dying: a historical sketch.

The tradition fo Western medicine established during the period of classical antiquity and extending through the early modern period encouraged the physician to avoid or to refuse to treat the seriously and/or terminally ill patient. The cultural environment and general attitudes toward death and dying helped to maintain this practice. Since the nineteenth century, however, the physician has increasingly accepted more responsibility, until he has become the central figure in management of the terminally ill patient. This paper examines the evolution of the relationship between the physician and the dying patient with the intention of illuminating various factors which helped to determine that relationship.