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There is a vast literature on death and dying, but there are few reliable accounts of the ways in which we die. The intimate account of how various diseases take away life, offered in How We Die, is not meant to prompt horror or terror but to demythologize the process of dying to help us rid ourselves of that fear of the terra incognita. Though the avenues of death - AIDS, cancer, heart attack, Alzheimer's, accident, and stroke - are common, each of us will die in a way different from any that has gone before. Each one of death's diverse appearances is as distinctive as that singular face we each show during our lives. Behind each death is a story. In How We Die, Sherwin B. Nuland, a surgeon and teacher of medicine, tells some stories of dying that reveal not only why someone dies but how. He offers a portrait of the experience of dying that makes clear the choices that can be made to allow each of us his or her own death.… (more)
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This book led me to evaluate my relationship with my health care provider. Was a simply a bag of symptoms when I saw him? Or was this someone who focused on the whole of me? With the wisdom gained from Dr. Nuland's book, I switched to a nurse practitioner at what - in hindsight - turned out to be a highly opportune time.
The author also provides relevant anecdotes from medical history and thoughtful
I enjoyed it, but this book might be too grim for some readers, especially those with health problems.
Nuland is an excellent writer and offers a book so well crafted that the result is a thought-provoking, poignant, and educational volume on death, which is "not a confrontation. It is simply an event in the sequence of nature's ongoing rhythms." (10)
Nuland writing is very easy and entertaining, and he goes over the main causes of death which are more likely to see us out - no, it is quite unlikely that we will pass away peacefully in our
Nuland goes over this by looking at specific cases he was involved in as a clinician, in a balanced way. His intention is not to scare us (if anything, he entartains the reader), and simply tells it as it is. We'll have to go through this, and there may be things each of us can do to make our demise less painful and uncorfortable.
Informative, engaging and surprisingly enjoyable.
Having presented the clinical perspective of death, the author than reintroduces the emotional perspective. He does an incredible job of examining the tension that often exists between the physician (and sometime loved ones) who are completely focused on "defeating" death and the patient. If the patient is complicit in the desire to extend life at any cost, this tension is minimal at most. If the patient has accepted the imminence of their death, this tension can be great. The author illustrates the latter situation with several personal examples.
I would highly recommend this book to everyone. Death is not optional, and the better we prepare for the eventuality of it with ourselves and especially our loved ones, the easier the process will be for all concerned.
Another aspect he delves into is the doctor and his relentless pursuit of saving the patient, not to mention the tab that is rolled up. Hope against hope we are pushed through the process of every last measure to our needless prolonged suffering in the cause of medicine. To me it seems barbaric but maybe I will have a different opinion at the time, but it is state of the art for now.
The inevitability of death and taxes is real and we must be prepared to face it as best we can. The book sheds light on things we need to consider now before are time has come. It is my hope that as us large group of Baby Boomer heads down this road the laws and ethical considerations of the easy way our will be addressed better. We should have more choice in bringing the end when it is certain. It seems absurd to me that so many are forced to endure the suffering and pain of their demise, yet convicted murderers sentenced to death exit in a dreamlike sleep.
I read it during a close relative's probably terminal illness, and I found it clarifying and comforting. Thank you, Dr. Nuland.
Taking a tour of heart disease, Alzheimer's, AIDS and cancer, Dr. Nuland presents a dispassionate, yet compassionate, review of what doesn't make us stronger.
It was good to learn that my late father's
I can't really put my finger on my recent interest in death, its mechanics, its impact although I'm guessing my father has plenty to do with it. Still, this demystification of our necessary ends is oddly comforting and bracing.