And that, for him, was enough.… The first thing the young caregiver noticed about the old man was his hands. They were thin, almost translucent beneath the hospital lights, with blue veins running across the backs like rivers on an ancient map. An intravenous line entered one wrist. A pulse oximeter clipped the end of his finger. The cardiac monitor beside his bed continued its quiet, indifferent arithmetic. The man’s body was failing in stages. Years of ischemic disease had damaged the circulation that supplied his organs with oxygen. His heart could no longer maintain adequate blood flow, his kidneys were deteriorating, and his liver showed signs of congestion. Pneumonia had complicated an already precarious condition. The physicians had explained that treatment might ease his symptoms, but there was no realistic prospect of restoring him to independent life. His medical chart described the situation in precise language: advanced multisystem organ dysfunct...