ABSTRACT
We are all men, In our own natures frail, and capable Of our flesh; few are angels. King Henry VIII, V, ii. Case history
Clare, a 50-year-old woman with advanced pancreatic cancer, is dying. She has been admitted to hospital for pain control, and is now bed bound and becoming weaker each day. She is intermittently confused, barely able to communicate and unable to swallow. Her pain is well controlled with analgesics administered via a syringe driver. Her son, a journalist, speaks to the doctor during an evening visit and says ‘I want my mother to have drip feeding and fluids’.
How should the doctor to respond to this request?
