This volume examines crucial concerns in palliative care, including the proper balance between comfort and cure for the patient, the integration of spiritual well-being, and the challenges of providing care in the absence of basic medical services and supplies. In the first section, palliative-care pioneers Constance Dahlin, Eduardo Bruera, Neil MacDonald, and Declan Walsh recount the early history of the discipline. Part 2 discusses the role of poetry, prose, plays, and other aspects of the humanities in the practice of palliative care. Part 3 explores essential current issues in the field, including autonomy, the use of opioids, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the evolution of palliative care. The final section focuses on the spiritual dimensions of pain and suffering. Rich with anecdotes and personal stories and featuring contributions from pioneers and current practitioners, The Pursuit of Life is an essential assessment of the past, present, and future of palliative care. In addition to the editors, the contributors include W. Andrew Achenbaum, Stacy L. Auld, Elena Pagani Bagliacca, Costantino Benedetti, Courtenay Bruce, Eduardo Bruera, Joseph Calandrino, Jim Cleary, Constance Dahlin, Andrea Ferrari, Mauro Ferrari, Joseph J. Fins, Bettie Jo Tennon Hightower, Kathryn B. Kirkland, Robin W. Lovin, Neil MacDonald, Charles Millikan, Dominique J. Monlezun, Tullio Proserpio, Giovanna Sironi, Daniel P. Sulmasy, and Declan Walsh.
Robert Fine, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, is the Director of Clinical Ethics and Supportive Palliative Care at Baylor Scott and White Health. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, teaches, and publishes widely in ethics and palliative care with a particular focus on medical futility. Jack Levison, PhD, holds the W. J. A. Power Chair of Old Testament Interpretation and Biblical Hebrew at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. He is the author of many books, including most recently A Boundless God: The Spirit According to the Old Testament and The Holy Spirit Before Christianity.
"This original book approaches the discussion of palliative care from both a clinical and classically academic perspective. It is rare to find a history of program development adjacent to a discussion of how the themes of Odysseus highlight the issues of suffering and compassion." -M. Elizabeth Paulk, M.D., UT Southwestern Medical Center
