Being Mortal

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Being Mortal ATULGAWANDEistheauthorofthreebestsellingbooks: Complications,afinalist fortheNationalBookAward; Better,selectedbyAm ...

Also by Atul Gawande Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance The Check ...

Being Mortal Atul Gawande Aging, Illness, Medicine and What Matters in the End ...

First published in Great Britain in 2014 by PROFILE BOOKS LTD 3AExmouth House Pine Street LondonEC1R 0JH http://www.profilebooks ...

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyrightreservedabove,nopartofthispublicationmay be reproduced, stored o ...

To Sara Bershtel ...

I see it now—this world is swiftly passing. —the warrior Karna, in theMahabharata They come to rest at any kerb: All streets in ...

Contents Introduction 1 • The Independent Self 2 • Things Fall Apart 3 • Dependence 4 • Assistance 5 • A Better Life 6 • Letting ...

Introduction I learned abouta lot ofthings in medical school, but mortalitywasn’t one ofthem.Although I wasgivena dry,leatheryco ...

seriesofevermoreexpensivedoctors.Noneofthemcan agree on a diagnosis, and theremedies theygivehim accomplishnothing.ForIlyich,iti ...

responsibilitiesofamoderndoctor.Wewere confident that in such a situation we would act compassionately. Whatworrieduswasknowledg ...

surgery to remove the growing tumor mass from his spine.Lazaroffchosesurgery.Myjob,astheinternon the neurosurgery service, was t ...

heroicmeasureswerea goodidea.Lazaroffdidn’tlike that at all. “Don’tyougiveuponme,”hesaid.“Yougivemeevery chanceI’vegot.”Outsidet ...

couldhearme,saidIwasgoingtotakethebreathingtube outofhismouth.HecoughedacoupleoftimeswhenI pulleditout, openedhiseyesbriefly,and ...

MODERNSCIENTIFICCAPABILITYhasprofoundlyaltered thecourseofhumanlife.Peoplelivelongerand better thanatanyothertimeinhistory.Butsc ...

not pullpeople through. I knew theoretically that my patients coulddie,ofcourse, but everyactualinstance seemedlikeaviolation,as ...

The late surgeon Sherwin Nuland, in his classic book HowWeDie,lamented,“Thenecessityofnature’sfinal victorywasexpectedandaccepte ...

troubling and has causedcallousness, inhumanity, and extraordinary suffering. This experiment of making mortality a medical expe ...

allowedourfatestobecontrolledbytheimperativesof medicine, technology, and strangers. Iwrotethisbookinthehopeofunderstandingwhath ...