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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 April 2021
Over the years, Jay Katz has consistently emphasized the need to consider both the psychodynamic factors and more general societal forces that play a role in shaping the way individuals and society respond to patients. In their 1975 book on catastrophic diseases, Katz and Capron addressed the central question of who should have the authority to make the decisions affecting those afflicted with catastrophic diseases: a theme that appears repeatedly in the insightful writing of Katz. In The Silent World of Doctor and Patient he presents a compelling case that patients’ deasion-making is an idea alien to the ethos of medicine. He has argued frequently for the importance of patient autonomy and has showed us how important conscious, as well as unconscious, and rational, as well as irrational forces are in shaping our actions.
In his work, Dr. Katz writes primarily about how physicians and patients should interact to arrive at decisions about research and treatment. These issues are certainly salient when considering the way acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) should be treated and how we should evaluate new therapies.