Doctor's attitude facing other's pain

Abstract

It is not unusual that people wonder about the reason of pain, or more precisely about suffering. Suffering is mankind’s companion through its whole existence. It is not surprising that many disciplines such as painting, music, literature, have paid attention to pain. So it is quite acceptable for Ethics to care about suffering, for its main object is man’s happiness, and sometimes we think that suffering and happiness cannot be together. Physicians are human beings which means that they suffer too, even if they don’t notice it, and they need to answer the problem of pain. If not, they will expend their lives between two risks: insensibility when facing their patients, and burning out when they don’t know how to cope with feelings. This work suggests physicians some clues that may be helpful when facing others suffering.