On Death and Dying—Forty years later, how well are we dying?

Da Cameron

doi:10.1080/20786204.2009.10873826

Abstract

AbstractIn the mid-1960s two doctors, one in London and the other in Chicago, set about changing the accepted medical care of dying patients. In London, Dr Cicely Saunders established St Christopher's Hospice specifically to provide compassionate care for dying patients linked to a rigorous scientific approach to relieving their unpleasant symptoms.Across the Atlantic, in a Chicago Hospital, Dr Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, a psychiatrist who became interested in the emotional issues of dying patients, arranged seminars where dying patients could talk about their feelings.The efforts of these two women led to a totally different way in which modern doctors deal with dying patients. Every medical student is now taught how to break bad news. The knowledge of how to control pain, nausea and other distressing symptoms is available to all doctors.By means of four simple stories, some of the dilemmas of dealing with dying patients in South Africa today will be explored. Forty years after Cicely Saunders and Elizabeth ...

Highlights

Introduction to case studiesI would like to introduce you to a few people who have helped me to learn about life and death, about my own limitations as a doctor, but more about the joys and tears of caring for the dying
Across the Atlantic, in a Chicago Hospital, Dr Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, a psychiatrist who became interested in the emotional issues of dying patients, arranged seminars where dying patients could talk about their feelings
In 1967, when she began her work interviewing dying patients at Billings Hospital, it was normal practice for doctors to avoid any discussion of death and dying

Summary

Background

In the mid-1960s two doctors, one in London and the other in Chicago, set about changing the accepted medical care of dying patients. Her scientific training enabled her to investigate the best ways of controlling pain, nausea, vomiting and confusion. Kübler-Ross arranged seminars in which she would interview a dying patient in front of a group of medical students and doctors On one occasion she introduced her class to a 16-year-old girl with leukaemia. I will leave you to answer the question – 40 years later, how well are we dying?

Introduction to case studies

Resilience and Forgiveness

In conclusion