PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - John Saunders
TI  - Compassion
AID  - 10.7861/clinmedicine.15-2-121
DP  - 2015 Apr 01
TA  - Clinical Medicine
PG  - 121--124
VI  - 15
IP  - 2
4099  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/15/2/121.short
4100  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/15/2/121.full
SO  - Clin Med2015 Apr 01; 15
AB  - The term ‘compassion’ has been much used and little discussed. I argue that compassion is a virtue in the Aristotelian sense, one of a family of other-regarding properties and belongs to the affective qualities of a moral agent. Its exercise is an essential component of good medical care in many situations and requires grounding in moral principles. Although our dispositions vary, compassion is a quality that can be developed in all of us.