Early life and education[edit]
Eric Jonathan Goldstein was born on August 29, 1928, in New York City.[1] He and his brother changed their surname to Cassell to render it closer to their grandfather's name, which was changed at Ellis Island.[1] He received a BS from Queens College, City University of New York, in 1950, an MA from Columbia University, also in 1950, and an MD from New York University School of Medicine in 1954.[1][2]
Career[edit]
Cassell taught at Cornell University Medical College and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and practiced at French Hospital and New York Hospital.[3] He was elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine in 1982.[4]
According to a 2019 critical review of Cassell's work, his views on the nature of suffering were "close to canonical" in the medical community.[5] Cassell advanced a subjective view of suffering, according to which the condition must be understood by reference to the beliefs and perceptions of the person experiencing it.[5]
In 2001, Cassell published a study in Annals of Internal Medicine that assessed the decision-making capacity of severely ill adults, finding that their decision-making abilities were similar to those of children under 10. Commenting on his findings, Cassell stated, "I think it's grossly unfair and I actually think it's an abuse of a patient to put someone in a position to make decisions when they don't have the capacity to make them."[6]
Cassell died on September 24, 2021, in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.[1]