This study guide consists of approximately 41 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of being mortal. Illness, medicine and what matters in the end by atul gawande includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 8 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. Atul gawande tackles the hardest challenge of his profession. Read free book excerpt from being mortal by atul gawande, page 4 of 4. Gavin franciss adventures in human being, his book about medicine and the body, is out next may.
For the full context, we definitely recommend reading the book, in which gawande combines facts and data. The author points out that a medical students education has not traditionally included. Now he examines its ultimate limitations and failuresin his own practices as well as othersas life draws to a close. Its just a fantastic insight into all aspects of medicine and a must read for all people working in the medical field. Sometimes the right book comes your way at exactly the right time. The chapter is a great set up for the rest of the book, it informs the readers, sets the stage, raises the stakes. Diana athill financial times uk being mortal, atul gawandes masterful exploration of aging, death, and the medical professions mishandling of both, is his best and most personal book yet. Medicine and what matters in the end he tackles a very tough subject. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. In the united states in the early 1900s, old people who were sick and poor most were poor and many were sick were institutionalized in. Book discussion questions being mortal by atul gawande introduction. Gawandes book is so impressive that one can believe that it may well change the medical profession may it be widely read and inwardly digested. Discussion questions being mortal, by atul gawande 1.
Considering the cost, in money, time and resources, and the ever expanding field of research, should medical schools expand the curriculum to include endoflife issues. Being mortal has been praised as a book that inspires sharing and discussion. On july 14 at 9pm eastern and july 15 at 8pm gmt 3pm eastern, nephjc discussed atul gawandes being mortal. Reading guide for being mortal by atul gawande bookbrowse. Discussions focus on various aspects of aging and dying, including. I learned a lot of things in medical school, but mortality wasnt one of them. I learned a lot of things in medical school, but mortality wasnt one of. He is also a surgeon at brigham and womens hospital in boston, a staff writer for the new yorker, and a professor at harvard medical school and the harvard school of public health. This highly acclaimed book brings readers to a heightened understanding of the complexities of aging and dying and the equal struggle. In the years since it was first published, being mortal has become a cultural touchstone that has profoundly altered the way we think about end of life care. Anyone who has faced or contemplated this challenge will find atul gawandes latest book, being mortal, medicine and what matters in the end, compelling and thoughtprovoking. Of physicians, surgeons must be the most aware of how the limits of a mortal body restrict what they can do.
This should be mandatory reading for every american. It seems to me that theyve forgotten the do no harm part of being a doctor. Being mortal by atul gawande is an accounting of the care and treatment of the elderly and the dying as it has evolved over the last century to what it is today and could become in the future. Modern medicine can perform miracles, but it is also only concerned with preserving life rather than dealing with endoflife issues. In western culture, there are taboos against death because it fits neither into postenlightenment notions of progress and perfection nor into medical notions of. Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming the dangers of childbirth, injury, and disease from harrowing to manageable.
Complications, a finalist for the national book award. We have come to medicalize aging, frailty, and death, treating. The recipient of numerous awards and widespread acclaim, atul gawandes being mortal has secured a position among the bestselling medical books of all time. In being mortal surgeon atul gawande describes learning how to extend those. Being mortal begins with an overview of aging in our culture and abroad. In his bestselling books, gawande has fearlessly revealed the struggles of his profession. As a registered nurse working in aged care i have already only just started implementing the pot plant for dementia patients. Balancing the power and options of modern medical treatment with quality of life is becoming increasingly challenging. Ive always loved atul gawandes writingwith his compassion and common sense, hes the kind of doctor you pray to get at the hospitaland in being mortal.
Being mortal illness, medicine and what matters in the end paperback 2015. The chapter focused on how an independent thinking physician turned a nursing home upside down being bringing in pets, live plants and even children, and then found a way to bring these green homes out to other geographies. Medicine and what matters in the end, atul gawande explores how to bring meaning and purpose to the last phase of life. Better, selected by as one of the ten best books of 2007. He is also a surgeon at brigham and womens hospital in boston, a staff writer for the new yorker, and a professor at. Reading guide for being mortal by atul gawande discussion guide for book clubs.
His new book, being mortal, is a personal meditation on how we can. As a surgeon and bestselling author, gawande is uniquely qualified to tell the story of how medical. Does anyone have book club questions for this book. With doctors as parents and his grandparents living in another country, atul gawande wasnt exposed to old age or agerelated illnesses until he was introduced to his girlfriends grandmother. Atul gawandes being mortal is both ambitious and synthetic, qualities that well suit his difficult subject, death. Oliver sacks it is rare to read a book that sparks so much hard thinking. About her biggest fears and know what trade offs she is not be medicated enough to be wakeful when he is able to india to be wakeful when he s father s father s passing, the end, jewel douglass is able to undergo some surgery but no risky chances.
Being mortal illness, medicine and what matters in the end. This book has some touching stories about very sick people and how their lives ended. Book discussion questions being mortal by atul gawande. In her biggest fears and acceptance within those limits. Being mortal is about the struggle to cope with the constraints of our biology, with the limits set by genes and cells and flesh and bone. Letting go being mortal chapter 6 home care online. Being mortal is a best book club book for discussion, an examination of the role of medicine in aging and death, told through research and stories of patients and. The surgeon in the story is the father of atul gawande, who is also a surgeon as well as a writer for the new yorker. Having recently moved my father from my house to assisted living, i felt as if this. Being mortal chapter 8epilogue summary freebooksummary. Medicine and what matters in the end is atul gawande. But in the inevitable condition of aging and death, the goals of medicine seem too frequently to run. This 6week discussion group is based on atul gawandes book being mortal.
Gawande notes that there are two kinds of autonomy p. Unfortunately, chapter 6 reminds us again quickly that this is a book about endoflife. What surprised me most about our discussion was that none of us could agree on what this book was really about. Unfortunately for many sick people the medical community is driven to act, but not necessarily to do what is best for the individual. In being mortal, bestselling author atul gawande tackles the hardest challenge of his profession. He is an eminent american surgeon and author, who conducts research into public i read this book a fortnight ago, by my brothers bedside, at a time when both he and i knew he was dying. Please be aware that this discussion guide may contain spoilers. A prominent surgeon and journalist takes a cleareyed look at aging and death in 21stcentury america. We wont spoil the ending by listing the questions here. Oliver sacks being mortal is not only wise and deeply moving, it is an essential and insightful book for our times, as one would expect from atul gawande, one of our finest physician writers. Medical science has given us remarkable power to push against these limits, and the potential value of this power was a central reason i became a doctor. Riveting, honest, and humane, being mortal shows how the ultimate goal is not a good death but a good lifeall the way to the very end. This book adds greatly to the conversation of aging, death, and quality of life issues.
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