BMJ 1994;308:1435-36 (28 May)

Letters

Vascular surgery in smokers Doctors are well qualified to decide on treatment..

EDITOR, - Julie Dawson makes many valid points in her letter on whether the medical profession has the right to decide whether smokers should be entitled to vascular surgery,1 but she overlooks two issues. She asks how much longer society is prepared to let members of the medical profession take it on themselves to decide who gets treatment. Doctors have always had to carry out this duty because society has never put forward any group better educated or qualified to do so. I find it difficult to believe that there is another body of people who are so qualified, but this should certainly not be a political issue. What is clear is that society in general and the medical profession in particular welcome any guidance on the difficult problems of what society should both be expected to pay for and have a right to expect as treatment.

The second point . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Vascular surgery in smokers Smokers must be allowed to decide
J Dawson and J Hotchkiss
BMJ 1994 308: 978-979. [Extract] [Full Text]

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