【正文】 The letter was probably written for polemical impact. It is scarcely credible. 是作者自己在信中聲稱他（或她）第一次與那位得了癌癥的病人見面，聽到病人說出5個(gè)字——“讓我去死吧”——然后就殺了她。 In January the Journal of the American Medical Association published a bizarre letter, in which an anonymous doctor claimed to have killed a 20yearold cancer patient at her own request. 這件事引起了一場辯論，而這場辯論將轟轟烈烈地持續(xù)到秋季，那時(shí)加利福尼亞州可能會就一項(xiàng)使安樂死合法化的法律進(jìn)行投票表決。 Right now it is going over the arguments about euthanasia once again. 美國醫(yī)學(xué)協(xié)會會刊1月份發(fā)表了一封非同尋常的來信。 The Dutch doctor broke his country’s rules. 有關(guān)安樂死的問題在所有國家都存在，決不僅出現(xiàn)在美國這個(gè)禁止安樂死的大國。荷蘭制定了有關(guān)安樂死的法律，能有效地管理它。 In one of the world’s smaller countries, mercykilling is accepted by the medical establishment and openly practiced a few thousand times each year. 而在某個(gè)世界大國，安樂死雖然經(jīng)常受到醫(yī)療機(jī)構(gòu)的公開譴責(zé)，每年卻以數(shù)倍于此的次數(shù)秘密實(shí)施，且從未公之于眾。 Now truly she was furious. She had been on the defensive before but now she attacked, Tried to get off her father’s lap and fly at me while tears of defeat blinded her eye.自己選擇死亡方式 Lesson Four 　Die as You Choose 制定關(guān)于安樂死的法律已經(jīng)到了不能再回避的地步。她勇敢地反抗就是為了不讓我發(fā)現(xiàn)她的這個(gè)秘密，她至少隱瞞了3天嗓子疼，并對父母撒謊，都是為了逃避這樣一個(gè)結(jié)果。 But a blind fury, a feeling of adult shame, bred of a longing for muscular release are the operatives. One goes on to the end. 在最后失去理性的“戰(zhàn)斗”中，我控制了女孩的脖子和下巴，我強(qiáng)行將沉重的銀勺從她的牙后面伸到嗓子直到她作嘔。 The damned little brat must be protected against her own idiocy, one says to one’s self at such times. 這樣做也是為了保護(hù)其他孩子，同時(shí)這也是一種社會需要，事實(shí)也確是如此。 But I have seen at least two children lying dead in bed of neglect in such cases, and feeling that I must get a diagnosis now or never I went at it again. 然而最糟糕的是，我也失去了理智，我本可以在盛怒之下將女孩的嘴扒開來享受其中的快樂，向她發(fā)起進(jìn)攻真是一件樂事，我的臉也因此而發(fā)熱。 Her tongue was cut and she was screaming in wild hysterical shrieks. 也許我應(yīng)該停下來，過一個(gè)多小時(shí)再回來無疑這樣會好一些。 We’re going through with this. 孩子的嘴已經(jīng)流血了。你在大夫面前這樣不覺得害臊嗎？ Aren’t you ashamed, the mother yelled at her. Aren’t you ashamed to act like that in front of the doctor? 給我拿一把平柄的勺子什么的，我對母親說。當(dāng)我終于把木制的壓舌板伸到最后一排牙齒的后面時(shí)，她張開了嘴，然而只是一瞬間，我還來不及看她又把嘴閉上了，沒等我把它取出來，她的臼齒已經(jīng)緊緊咬住了壓舌板，并把壓舌板咬成了碎片。 But now I also had grown furiousat a child. 我試圖讓自己不要發(fā)脾氣，但卻做不到，我知道怎樣去檢查她的嗓子。 Come on now, hold her, I said. 接著我用左手掰住女孩的頭，并試圖將木制的壓舌板伸進(jìn)她的嘴里。 Let go of my hands. Let them go I tell you. 接著她發(fā)出可怕的歇斯底里的尖叫，住手！住手！你會弄死我的！ Then she shrieked terrifyingly, hysterically. Stop it! Stop it! You’re killing me! 你覺得她受得了嗎？醫(yī)生！她母親說。 Put her in front of you on your lap, I ordered, and hold both her wrists. 然而他剛一動手，女孩就尖叫了一聲。 The father tried his best, and he was a big man but the fact that she was his daughter, his shame at her behavior and his dread of hurting her made him release her just at the critical times when I had almost achieved success, till I wanted to kill him. 可是，因?yàn)橛謸?dān)心她真會患上白喉，盡管他自己就快昏到了，他又告訴我繼續(xù)，繼續(xù)，而她的母親在我們的身后走來走去，憂愁萬分地抖著雙手。而這個(gè)女孩由于恐懼，她對我的抗拒達(dá)到了驚人的地步。畢竟我已經(jīng)喜歡上了這個(gè)野蠻的小東西，但卻看不起這對父母。 I explained the danger but said that I would not insist on a throat examination so long as they would take the responsibility. 如果你不按大夫說的去做，你就要去醫(yī)院了，母親嚴(yán)厲地警告她。 I had to have a throat culture for her own protection. 可是我首先告訴家長這完全取決于他們。 Her breaths, however, were ing faster and faster. 接著一場戰(zhàn)役開始了，我不得不這樣做。 I’m here to look at her throat on the chance that she might have diphtheria and possibly die of it. 但這一切她都不在乎，看這兒，我對女孩說，我們想看看你的嗓子，你不小了，應(yīng)該明白我說的話，你是自己張開嘴呢，還是我們幫你張開？ But that’s nothing to her. Look here, I said to the child, we’re going to look at your throat. You’re old enough to understand what I’m saying. Will you open it now by yourself or shall we have to open it for you? 她仍然一動不動，甚至連表情都沒有任何變化。 Both the mother and father almost turned themselves inside out in embarrassment and apology. You bad girl, said the mother, taking her and shaking here by one arm. Look what you’ve done. The nice man… 看在上帝的份上，我打斷了她的話，請不要再在她面前說我是一個(gè)好人。 In fact she knocked my glasses flying and they fell, though unbroken, several feet away from me on the kitchen floor. 父母兩人都非常尷尬，充滿歉意，你這個(gè)壞孩子，母親一邊說，一邊抓著她，并搖晃著她的一只手，你看看你做的事。 As that I ground my teeth in disgust. If only they wouldn’t use the word “hurt” I might be able to get somewhere. But I did not allow myself to be hurried or disturbed but speaking quietly and slowly I approached the child again. 我剛將椅子拉近一點(diǎn)，突然，她像貓一樣雙手本能地朝我的兩眼抓去，我差一點(diǎn)被她抓到。他不會傷害你的。 Aw, e on, I coaxed, just open your mouth wide and let me take a look. Look, I said opening both hands wide, I haven’t anything in my hands. Just open up and let me see. 他是一個(gè)多好的人呀，她的母親插話道。 Nothing doing. 哦，來吧，我勸道，張大你的嘴，讓我看看。我說，來吧，瑪?shù)贍栠_(dá)，張開嘴，讓我看一下你的嗓子。 As it happens we had been having a number of cases of diphtheria in the school to which this child went during that month and we were all, quite apparently, thinking of that, though no one had as yet spoken of the thing. 好了，我說，我們先看看嗓子吧。 I tried to, said the mother but II couldn’t see. 這個(gè)月碰巧她上學(xué)的那個(gè)學(xué)校已經(jīng)有好幾例白喉病。 Does your throat hurt you? Added the mother to the child. 女孩的表情沒有任何變化，而她的目光卻一直沒有從我的臉上移開。 As doctors often do I took a trial shot at it as a point of departure. Has she had a sore throat? 父母兩人一起回答說，沒有……沒有，她說她的嗓子不疼。 She’s had a fever for three days, began the father and we don’t know what it es from. 我太太給她吃了一些藥，你知道，大家都是這樣做的，可這些藥根本不管用，而且，附近有很多人都生了病，所以我們想請您最好給她檢查一下，然后告訴我們是怎么一回事。 But her face was flushed, she was breathing rapidly, and I realized that she had a high fever. 她長著一頭漂亮濃密的金發(fā)，就像刊登在廣告插頁上和周日報(bào)紙圖片版上的那些孩子一樣。 She did not move and seemed, inwardly, quiet。 The child was fairly eating me up with her cold, steady eyes, and no expression on her face whatever. 她紋絲不動，內(nèi)心似乎很平靜。 As often, in such cases, they weren’t telling me more than they had to, it was up to me to tell them。 He tried to get up, but I motioned for him not to bother, took off my overcoat and started to look things over. 我能夠覺察出他們都很緊張，而且用懷疑的眼光上下打量著我。 In the back, she added. You must excuse us, doctor, we have her in the kitchen where it is warm. It is very damp here sometimes. 在廚房的桌子旁邊，這個(gè)孩子穿得嚴(yán)嚴(yán)實(shí)實(shí)的，坐在她父親的腿上。 “Please e down as soon as you can, my daughter is very