Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

A glimpse of dying from literary authors

Jim deMaine, MD
Physician
September 10, 2012
Share
Tweet
Share

“Medical training rarely deals with helping the dying patient find peace and comfort. In fact, most physicians are uncomfortable with the entire subject. I believe it is one of the most neglected aspects of medical care. I have spent my career as a pulmonary and critical care physician, and I have cared for thousands of dying patients. In many cases, both the patients and I knew that they were dying. After I provided clinical and supportive care, I would walk away from their bedside and go on with my work and go home to my family. Now the world has turned around for me. I have widespread metastatic disease to my lungs and bones.”

This was written by the prominent physician educator Roger Bone as he was dying and exploring the classical literature about death and dying. In Bone’s extensive search of classical literature he found little to explain death itself.

“In summary, the great classics, the most significant works in literary history, have had a seminal effect on the behavior and attitudes of our world today, concerning themselves as they do with the issues of love, tragedy, seduction, pride, intrigue, suspense, murder, vanity, fantasy, evil, cruelty, greed, adultery, deceit, depression, fear, brutality, hypocrisy, pride, chivalry, heroism, romance, honor, loyalty, and friendship. But only rarely do they deal with an understanding of death. Notable exceptions include the passages visited above, most memorable in the scene of Beth’s death in Little Women, Emily’s death in Our Town, and Thoreau’s observations in Walden. I examined the classics closely for answers and was left with the conclusion that if you have limited time, read Thoreau, Alcott, and Wilder.”

Perhaps we can get a glimpse about the “D” word from authors.

“Dying is a very dull, dreary affair. And my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it.” (Somerset Maughan) Perhaps the denial that we all have is healthy to some degree, but ultimately harmful when we have to face and plan for the inevitable.

“It’s not that I’m afraid to die, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” (Woody Allen) The point here is that we really do have some fear, and that denial can be humorous as long as we’re not facing a real crisis.

“Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It’s the transition that’s troublesome.” (Isaac Asimov) I often heard this from patients, “It’s the dying I’m afraid of!”

Advance planning is something we, as a society, don’t do well. Most of us tend not to save adequately for retirement, don’t execute wills, and don’t complete advance directives. Appropriately we tend to live in the present, “the now”. So how do we deal with educating ourselves, our leaders, and our governments to balance “the now” with “the future”. Ultimately the education about advance planning needs to come from the heath professions, medical societies, communities, states, and the federal government. Viewing this as a public health issue with the rapid aging of the population, the CDC has created a program to educate heath professionals.

None of this, of course, really addresses the mystery of what follows death. Roger Bone found his comfort in the Bible, Helen Keller in Swedenborg’s writings in Heaven and Hell, but the journey remains ours alone, hopefully with our creator gently carrying us.

Jim deMaine is a pulmonary physician who blogs at End of Life – thoughts from an MD.

Prev

Learn to understand and interpret your body’s language

September 9, 2012 Kevin 0
…
Next

A surgeon gets infected with West Nile virus and tells his story

September 10, 2012 Kevin 6
…

Tagged as: Palliative Care, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Learn to understand and interpret your body’s language
Next Post >
A surgeon gets infected with West Nile virus and tells his story

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Jim deMaine, MD

  • When “do no harm” is no longer textbook

    Jim deMaine, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Ezekiel Emanuel’s wrong ethical view of aging

    Jim deMaine, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Brittany Maynard: It’s more than death with dignity

    Jim deMaine, MD

More in Physician

  • The weaponization of rules: How regulatory overreach puts physicians and health care at risk

    Kayvan Haddadan, MD
  • Ethical dilemmas in using unclaimed bodies for medical research

    M. Bennet Broner, PhD
  • The Nova Oath: a physician’s pledge to courageous and ethical care

    Kenneth Ro, MD
  • True stories of doctors reclaiming their humanity in a system that challenges it

    Alae Kawam, DO & Kim Downey, PT & Nicole Solomos, DO
  • Why wanting more from your medical career is a sign of strength

    Maureen Gibbons, MD
  • How a rainy walk helped an oncologist rediscover joy and bravery

    Dr. Damane Zehra
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • Why sleep is the missing pillar in modern health care

      Carlos Nunez, MD | Conditions
    • Why some doctors age gracefully—and others grow bitter

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • How to survive a broken health care system without losing yourself [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How the shingles vaccine could help prevent dementia

      Marc Arginteanu, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why sleep is the missing pillar in modern health care

      Carlos Nunez, MD | Conditions
    • How a family’s strength led to a successful kidney transplant

      C. Nicole Swiner, MD | Conditions
    • The food-drug interaction risks your doctor may be missing

      Frank Jumbe | Meds
    • Beyond the TikTok hype: Rebuilding trust in evidence-based weight loss medicine

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • The weaponization of rules: How regulatory overreach puts physicians and health care at risk

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • How to speak the language of leadership to improve doctor wellness [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 14 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • Why sleep is the missing pillar in modern health care

      Carlos Nunez, MD | Conditions
    • Why some doctors age gracefully—and others grow bitter

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • How to survive a broken health care system without losing yourself [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How the shingles vaccine could help prevent dementia

      Marc Arginteanu, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why sleep is the missing pillar in modern health care

      Carlos Nunez, MD | Conditions
    • How a family’s strength led to a successful kidney transplant

      C. Nicole Swiner, MD | Conditions
    • The food-drug interaction risks your doctor may be missing

      Frank Jumbe | Meds
    • Beyond the TikTok hype: Rebuilding trust in evidence-based weight loss medicine

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • The weaponization of rules: How regulatory overreach puts physicians and health care at risk

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • How to speak the language of leadership to improve doctor wellness [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

A glimpse of dying from literary authors
14 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...