November 26, 2024
(New Scientist) – Reperfusion technologies that can reanimate human brains are raising the possibility that death could be a reversible condition, even hours after a cardiac arrest That was when something incredible happened. The cortex turned from grey to pink. … Read More
November 22, 2024
(Plough) – A husband caring for a loved one with dementia finds dark valleys, but also limitless spiritual resources. Sherwin B. Nuland, MD, in How We Die, describes the experience of dementia caregivers as “spiritually exhausting.” At times, that was my … Read More
November 12, 2024
(ProPublica) – “If you don’t look, you’re not going to find,” said Lauri McGivern, medicolegal death investigator coordinator in Vermont’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, chair of the National Association of Medical Examiners’ medicolegal death investigation committee and past … Read More
November 8, 2024
(CNN) – Callahan isn’t afraid of digging into the deep stuff. In fact, he runs toward it. Sometimes, though, he’ll encounter patients who brush him off when they learn he’s a chaplain — they aren’t believers, they tell him, and … Read More
November 1, 2024
(Christianity Today) – November 1 marks All Saints’ Day on the church calendar, when many denominations remember the communion of all believers of all time, including the faithfully departed. That the church instituted this holy day should come as no … Read More
October 28, 2024
(The Atlantic) – Oliver Burkeman has become an unlikely self-help guru by reminding everyone of their mortality. But Burkeman’s enterprise—to free people from traditional, silver-bullet self-help while selling them his own carefully packaged counsel—is a tricky one. Burkeman himself doesn’t … Read More
October 16, 2024
(The Conversation) – In 2014, the World Health Organisation highlighted the need to include palliative care in health policies and to improve access to essential medicines such as morphine. It also stressed the importance of training health professionals in palliative … Read More
October 10, 2024
(BBC) – Proposals to give terminally ill people in England and Wales the right to choose to end their life are to be introduced in Parliament this month. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater is putting forward the bill and said “now … Read More
October 7, 2024
(The Atlantic) – As a palliative-care physician, I have encountered the phenomenon of people dying only after specific circumstances materialize. There was the gentleman whose family held vigil in the intensive-care unit while he continued on, improbably, even without the … Read More
September 30, 2024
(Rest of World) – Tomb sweeping is a Chinese tradition where people clean ancestors’ graves, present flowers and food, and burn paper money for the deceased to use in the afterlife. But as millions of Chinese have moved away from … Read More
September 24, 2024
(BBC) – A four-year-old boy who was expected to die shortly after his life support was removed has “confounded” medical expectations, a UK judge has said in a ruling. Months before, the High Court ruled that life-sustaining ventilation was not … Read More
September 20, 2024
(Delaware Online) – Silverio died on Jan. 7, 2018. Block died two months later, on March 3, 2018. Knothe died this week, on Sept. 16, 2024. None of them lived long enough to have those options in Delaware. And Gov. … Read More
September 17, 2024
(NBC News) – The University of North Texas Health Science Center built a flourishing business using hundreds of unclaimed corpses. It suspended the program after NBC News exposed failures to treat the dead and their families with respect. A Swedish … Read More
September 11, 2024
(STAT News) – A single question doesn’t give context, ask what’s most important to you to guide this decision, or share why we may recommend do-not-resuscitate (DNR) when CPR likely won’t work and cause further suffering. Popular shows like “Grey’s … Read More
September 11, 2024
Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics (vol. 45, no. 5, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
September 9, 2024
(Public Discourse) – Dying is part of life, but most people dread their final days. The end of life, which often takes the form of protracted terminal illness, can involve significant pain and suffering as well as functional limits in … Read More
September 6, 2024
Neuroethics (vol. 17, no. 3, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
September 2, 2024
(New York Times) – In one recent study, the challenging regimen added 77 days of life after three years. Often, kidney disease can be managed in other ways. Ms. Outlaw was mistaken on one point — dialysis can prolong the … Read More
August 28, 2024
(New York Times) – When her “do not resuscitate” order was ignored, Marie Cooper found herself in a painful situation she had hoped to avoid. On its face, a D.N.R. order is a straightforward medical document, which states that if … Read More
August 21, 2024
(New York Times) – Modern, even hip, mortuaries around the world are hoping to answer one question: How do we commemorate death in 2024? Exit Here is among a small group of funeral homes around the world — like Sparrow … Read More
August 20, 2024
(CBS News) – At least 26 people have traveled to Vermont to die, representing nearly 25% of the reported assisted deaths in the state from May 2023 through this June, according to the Vermont Department of Health. In Oregon, 23 … Read More
August 9, 2024
(Undark) – Many of life’s biggest questions can’t be answered by an algorithm. We must learn to embrace uncertainty instead. I’ve seen the tendency to ask AI life-and-death questions first-hand. After hearing I was a computer scientist, a professor at … Read More
August 5, 2024
(New York Times) – Adult children are less likely to assist an aging stepparent, studies show. A growing “step gap” in senior care worries experts. Calculating the growth in stepfamilies isn’t simple, but a demographic analysis published last year estimated … Read More
August 5, 2024
(MIT Technology Review) – Ethicists say a “digital psychological twin” could help doctors and family members make decisions for people who can’t speak themselves. End-of-life decisions can be extremely upsetting for surrogates, the people who have to make those calls … Read More
July 25, 2024
(MedPage Today) – Critically injured trauma patients without insurance had a higher risk of being taken off life-saving care sooner than their insured counterparts, according to findings from a retrospective cohort study of more than 300,000 U.S. adults. After adjustment … Read More
