From these experiences, Gawande learns a new style of talking about death with his patients.įinally, Gawande also reflects on the lessons offered by Tolstoy’s “Death of Ivan Ilyich.” The titular character’s quest for companionship and recognition of his full humanity just before he passes inspires Gawande to advocate for the same for contemporary patients.From Atul Gawande, a book that has the potential to change medicine – and lives.
As a point of contrast, he also describes the harrowing final moments of those who endured risky and ultimately futile procedures in order to gain just a little more time. He notes the instances in which an acceptance of mortality helped patients truly have quality time at the end. The experiences of patients figure into Gawande’s equation for a good death, too. His father instead remains as active as possible nearly up until the end, and just before he passes, Gawande’s father is medicated just enough to be at peace and to dictate to his family how he wishes to have his ashes dispersed. The author describes his worry as a loving son when his father opts to not undergomajor invasive surgery that might give him more time.
Instead, his grandfather would be placed in a nursing home, where he would have been deprived of all the things that gave his life meaning, all in the name of prolonging his life.Īssessing the passing of his American physician father, Gawande appreciates his father’s difficult decision to not fight death by any means possible. Both died with dignity, he feels, but he acknowledges that in modern, first-world nations, the way in which his grandfather passed away in India-at home, surrounded by relatives who did not curtail his activities or appetite-would never happen.
The author reflects on the deaths of his own grandfather and father and maps out what went right and wrong in those processes.
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