Super Smart Health

Empowering Health and Wellbeing

Send to a friend

Archie Cochrane

Archie Cochrane (for whom the Cochrane Collaboration is named), one of the most important figures to inspire the development of Evidence-based Medicine (EBM), has as much to teach us about the heart of healing as he does about EBM. In his autobiography, One Man’s Medicine(1), he shares his experience as a prisoner of war physician in Germany during World War II. In the following excerpt he describes his care for a patient who came in screaming with pain, what he initially ascribed to “gross bilateral cavitation and a severe pleural rub” or “pleurisy” (lung exam findings and chest pain, possibly from tuberculosis).

Another event at Elsterhorst had a marked effect on me. The Germans dumped a young Soviet prisoner in my ward late one night. The ward was full, so I put him in my room as he was moribund and screaming and I did not want to wake the ward. I examined him. He had obvious gross bilateral cavitation and a severe pleural rub. I thought the latter was the cause of the pain and the screaming. I had no morphia, just aspirin, which had no effect. I felt desperate. I knew very little Russian then and there was no one in the ward who did. I finally instinctively sat down on the bed and took him in my arms, and the screaming stopped almost at once. He died peacefully in my arms a few hours later. It was not the pleurisy that caused the screaming but loneliness. It was a wonderful education about the care of the dying. I was ashamed of my misdiagnosis and kept the story secret.

What was the instinct that that caused Archie Cochrane to take the patient in his arms? What was the comfort that caused the screaming to stop?

What Archie Cochrane teaches us is that the pursuit of health is far more than the application of scientific knowledge. Just as important, if not more so, it’s about keeping an open heart where we can be more available to receive and give love and compassion to heal ourselves and others.

Return to Spirit Guided Health

SuperSmart Health Blog - Blogging health and well being

SuperSmartHealth incorporates Evidence-Based Medicine and Integrative Holistic Medicine into a new vision of health.
We provide seminars, wellness programs, coaching, consulting and gateways to knowledge, support and inspiration
to facilitate optimal health and well-being.

SuperSmartHealth does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please see our Terms of Use for more information. Page Updated: Dec 09, 2008