No abstract

No abstract

A 51 year old man with a negative neurological history presented to the accident and emergency department with a generalised tonic clonic seizure. Further fits occurred with the patient not regaining consciousness. Brain CT showed a partially calcified right frontal tumour containing fat. Free intraventricular and subarachnoidal fat suggested rupture of a dermoid cyst.

How refreshing it was to read Ken Walker's article. 1 He has the courage to speak out on a subject from which most of us shy away. The major concern of physicians since the time of Hippocrates has been to help prevent pain and suffering; the concept of saving lives at all costs is a modern aberration. In the time of Hippocrates, deformed or malformed babies were put out on the hillside to perish. Of course such a practice would be abhorrent today, but one has to reflect on the enormous cost to our current system of performing heroic procedures on patients whose viability is doubtful.

No abstract