Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

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  • Where is the dignity in death?

    Therese KwiatkowskiChicago, Illinois, USA   Death in the Sick Chamber, 1895Edvard Munch, Norwegian (1863–1944)Oil on canvas150 x 167.5 cm In my experience, the end of life is neither peaceful nor dignified. I wish I had been told that death is hard work for both the patient and the loved one. I did not expect that losing…

  • The good death

    Raeford E Brown, JrLexington, Kentucky, USA   Physicians and nurses experience death all too often. We recognize the gray hue, the fetid odor, and chill of a body that has been failing for days or months. In hospital halls, we hurriedly pass families as they struggle to deal with the loss of their loved ones.…