An important contribution in the burgeoning literature relating to the delivery of medical care, and to the broader question of responsible decision-making in those social areas where tragic choices have to be made. The effort is an excellent example of research into, and therapy for, an important social process.

There is considerable choice in the way participants treat and conduct research on catastrophic diseases. Catastrophic Diseases draws a powerful, humane portrait of the patients who suffer from these illnesses, as well as of the physician-investigators who treat them.