Death by the Pros

For English speakers, three articles I read years apart, about death as described by healthcare professionals. I've already mentioned the first two, but after reading the third, I thought a little roundup was worth it.

Kicking things off, in 2011: "How Doctors Die" or how doctors at the end of life tend to avoid the aggressive treatment they've seen far too often in their patients.

The second, which I recently found among Scott Alexander's wonderful essays, dates from 2013: "Who By Very Slow Decay" or how medical staff lose their illusions in palliative care.

Finally, the last one, published very recently in the New York Times – if you only read one, I recommend this one: "A Hospice Nurse on Embracing the Grace of Dying". A hospice nurse describes her work and her patients' last moments in a book, "The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments." The stories and analogies she shares in the article are deeply moving.

The point isn't to depress you. Quite the opposite: the truth sets you free. A sharp awareness of our own finitude is the first antidote to a life lulled by illusions.