The importance of humanity in internal medicine

The importance of humanity in internal medicine 
I.M. Matters from the American College of Physicians; President's Message by Jason M. Goldman, MD, MACP; June 2025
I recently attended the funeral of one of my long-time patients, who had required hospice care after a long battle with heart disease. Many of us have had the experience of telling a patient and their family that their disease has progressed and we have reached the limits of medical science. In training, we are taught to be compassionate but professional, maintaining a certain level of emotional detachment ... As internal medicine specialists, we have the awesome responsibility and privilege to be the doctor for our patients through decades of their life experiences and to offer them not just medical science, but also humanity and comfort. ... One of the greatest acts of charity a person can perform is to attend someone's funeral, as it is the only act of kindness that cannot be reciprocated. This patient had been in my practice for almost two decades, and I had the privilege of taking care of both her and her husband.
Editor's note: Re-read this powerful statement, "One of the greatest acts of charity a person can perform is to attend someone's funeral, as it is the only act of kindness that cannot be reciprocated."