My good friend and colleague Barney Sneiderman died yesterday. A few
months ago he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; the day before
yesterday, after failed trials of chemotherapy and staying at
home—with community palliative care supports—as long as
possible, he determined it was time to enter one of our city's
inpatient palliative care units. Less than a day later, he was gone. Some
readers of Palliative & Supportive Care may actually be
familiar with Barney, through his various published works. As a professor
of law at the University of Manitoba, he was known for his expertise in
health issues and the law and biomedical ethics. He was a frequent speaker
to medical professionals on medico-legal subjects, and had a
cross-appointment with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of
Manitoba. Besides his many publications, the book he coauthored,
Canadian Medical Law: An Introduction for Physicians, Nurses and Other
Health Care Professionals, third edition, is considered an
authoritative work on legal issues relating to patient care and treatment
and addresses the most frequent and pressing concerns facing health care
professionals and the lawyers who advise them.