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Abstract
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"Physician, heal thyself," is an irony older than the English
language. At present, the admonition needed is to avoid death
by violence. For the entire population, violent deaths comprise
about 7.5 per cent, of the total. Of these, about one in six is by
suicide. Theoretically, physicians should have a mortality by
violence corresponding to the more fortunate class of the popu-
lation. Actually, their mortality by suicide alone is almost as
high as that of the entire population by all forms of violence.
Judging from recent reports--it is too early to present statistics
--automobile and other accidents and deliberate killing are re-
moving altogether too large a number of our profession. Are
we wrong, then, in suggesting greater caution, greater self con-
trol, perhaps even safer associations?
Language: en |