ALTRUISM IN SURGERY OF AIDS PATIENTS

There is usually a long period of time between infection with the AIDS virus and manifestation of symptoms. Asymptomatic patients often woul d benefit from elective surgery for diseases such as arthritis which a re unrelated to their infection. The surgeons' decisions to accept the risks to themselves, their spouses, and their operating teams in orde r to relieve pain and suffering appear to be based upon two covenants; one concerns their role within the doctor-patient relationship, and t he other concerns their relationship to what they see as the ultimate meaning in life.