ABSTRACT
Personalities can blossom under the impact of adversity and suffering. People do not recommend the voluntary imposition of suffering, but do observe that religious sects over the centuries have practiced self-flagellation to identify with Christ's suffering. As the last word in suffering for humanity, Christians would identify Christ's crucifixion as a positive step for humanity. The simplest examples of the suffering of patients can be what first comes to mind: the pain of trauma and injury, the pain that follows surgery, the pain of blood-taking and injections, the pain of physical examinations that involve the pathology of various organ systems, and the pain of invasive diagnostic procedures, including the simplest oral or rectal examinations and, for women, vaginal examinations. What matters most to patients is the control of their pain and symptoms. For this, hospices have offered the most integrated approach to lessening suffering.
