Why you should think about “tokothanatology”

There are only two days in your life that are less than 24 hours long—the day you are born and the day you die. This is far from all that birth and death have in common: they are the most momentous days in our lives; they are family, social, and cultural events surrounded by rituals and laws; they are the stuff of stories, poetry, art, and films; and these days they involve healthcare and both have been medicalised to an unhealthy degree.The central argument of Susan Boron’s book Bookends: A Family Doctor Explores Birth, Death, and Tokothanatology is that we can learn much about birth by thinking about death and vice versa.1 Boron is that possibly extinct creature, a doctor who facilitated both births and deaths. She describes her practice as “pre-cradle to post-grave.” Now general practitioners are not trusted to facilitate birth, and palliative care specialists are sent for…
Read Original Article: Why you should think about “tokothanatology” »