©The Author(s) 2003. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. May 15, 2003; 9(5): 885-887
Published online May 15, 2003. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v9.i5.885
Published online May 15, 2003. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v9.i5.885
The treatment of the “untreatable” patient-revisited
Joseph B. Kirsner, The Louis Block Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, USA
Author contributions: Joseph B. Kirsner contributed all to the work.
Correspondence to: Joseph B. Kirsner, MD, PhD, The Louis Block Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, USA. gpence@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
Telephone: +1-773-7026101 Fax: +1-773-7024028
Received: January 11, 2003
Revised: January 24, 2003
Accepted: February 19, 2003
Published online: May 15, 2003
Revised: January 24, 2003
Accepted: February 19, 2003
Published online: May 15, 2003
Abstract
The limits of medicine have not yet been reached. Numerous human illnesses initially thought to be incurable are reversible under unique and unpredictable individual circumstances. This paper, and the preceding companion publication, describes instances of the successful treatment of patients previously labeled as untreatable, including instances of severe ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
Keywords: $[Keywords]
“We simply cannot predict what will happen to every given patient.”