ON DEATH AND DYING

Death and disease are uncomfortable subjects for individuals and communities, often creating unnecessary suffering for all involved. Dr. Ross is a psychotherapist and this book (the outgrowth of a university seminar on death) is based on interviews with patients in a Chicago hospital where they expressed their fears, hopes, and often dismay at the attempt to keep them alive at any cost. There is strong evidence here that honesty between doctor and patient, patient and family, in acknowledging terminal illness is essential in establishing the kind of trust which can comfort and support the dying. The book is primarily addressed to professionals (chaplains, nurses, doctors, etc.) but the non-professional hospital volunteer and the next of kin involved with a death in the family will find the book immensely helpful.