Woody Allen once joked, “I’m not afraid of death. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” A world-wide survey by the Lien Foundation in Singapore recently reported the primary worry of the elderly is dying in pain. It listed England as the best place to die. Canada and the U.S tied for 9th place.
As a physician I’ve always known that pain is the overwhelming fear, particularly for cancer patients. I’ve also known that heroin has been available in Britain for 90 years to ease the final agony of death. This knowledge triggered a visit to England to witness its use and to question why it wasn’t used for this purpose in Canada. I didn’t realize my probe would engender so much controversy.
