How to die — a physician's last lesson

摘要

My father was a big man, in more ways than one! He was my mentor, guide and friend, on a personal and professional level. The last lesson he taught me, was how to die. There has been much in the BMJ and press lately on death, care of the elderly, concerns about patient choice and dignity. My father chose a low tech, minimal intervention, home death. He and death had a long relationship. He knew death intimately, as a retired geriatrician and because he had cheated death already.