A good death

It is uncanny how timely the piece about death as the great leveller is, considering the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.1 The announcement of the death of the Queen, however sad, was a story with a positive aspect. Hers was a peaceful death, not marred by disease or admission to hospital and futile resuscitation attempts; a death at home surrounded by family. It is the quest and the dream of many doctors, like Salisbury, to be able to guide patients dying of incurable disease or old age towards such an end.One is reminded of the long forgotten paper by Edwin Shneidman on criteria for a good death.2 Looking through the prism of those criteria it was a natural and a mature death. It was neither sudden nor unexpected. It was honourable and prepared. It was civilised and accepted, with the family gracefully bowing to the inevitable. It was peaceable with…
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