Eric Jonathan Cassell (August 29, 1928 – September 24, 2021) was an American physician and bioethicist.

Early life and education

Eric Jonathan Goldstein was born on August 29, 1928, in New York City.[1] He and his brother changed their surname to Cassell to render it closer to their grandfather's name, which was changed at Ellis Island.[1] He received a BS from Queens College, City University of New York, in 1950, an MA from Columbia University, also in 1950, and an MD from New York University School of Medicine in 1954.[1][2]

Career

Cassell taught at Cornell University Medical College and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and practiced at French Hospital and New York Hospital.[3] He was elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine in 1982.[4]

According to a 2019 critical review of Cassell's work, his views on the nature of suffering were "close to canonical" in the medical community.[5] Cassell advanced a subjective view of suffering, according to which the condition must be understood by reference to the beliefs and perceptions of the person experiencing it.[5]

In 2001, Cassell published a study in Annals of Internal Medicine that assessed the decision-making capacity of severely ill adults, finding that their decision-making abilities were similar to those of children under 10. Commenting on his findings, Cassell stated, "I think it's grossly unfair and I actually think it's an abuse of a patient to put someone in a position to make decisions when they don't have the capacity to make them."[6]

Cassell died on September 24, 2021, in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.[1]

Books

Further reading

References

  1. ^ a b c d Roberts, Sam (October 14, 2021). "Dr. Eric Cassell, Bioethicist Who Put the Patient First, Dies at 93". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  2. ^ Nemeh, Katherine H., ed. (2007). American Men and Women of Science (23d ed.). Thomson Gale. p. 102. ISBN 978-1-4144-0974-0. ISSN 0000-1287. OCLC 77517165. Gale K3099017807.
  3. ^ "Cassell, Eric J." Writers Directory. 2005. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  4. ^ "Eric J. Cassell, M.D." National Academy of Medicine. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Tate, Tyler; Pearlman, Robert (2019). "What We Mean When We Talk About Suffering—and Why Eric Cassell Should Not Have the Last Word". Perspectives in Biology and Medicine. 62 (1): 95–110. doi:10.1353/pbm.2019.0005. ISSN 1529-8795. PMID 31031299. S2CID 139104047.
  6. ^ Tarkan, Laurie (October 2, 2001). "Debating Patients' Capacity to Decide". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  7. ^ Reviews of The Healer's Art:
  8. ^ Reviews of Doctoring:
  9. ^ Reviews of The Nature of Suffering and the Goals of Medicine:
  10. ^ Reviews of The Nature of Healing:

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