A Columbia University physician comes across a popular medieval text
on dying well written after the horror of the Black Plague and discovers
ancient wisdom for rethinking death and gaining insight today on how we
can learn the lost art of dying well in this wise, clear-eyed book that
is as compelling and soulful as Being Mortal, When Breath Becomes
Air**, and** Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.
As a specialist in both medical ethics and the treatment of older
patients, Dr. L. S. Dugdale knows a great deal about the end of life.
Far too many of us die poorly, she argues. Our culture has overly
medicalized death: dying is often institutional and sterile, prolonged
by unnecessary resuscitations and other intrusive interventions. We are
not going gently into that good night--our reliance on modern medicine
can actually prolong suffering and strip us of our dignity. Yet our
lives do not have to end this way.
Centuries ago, in the wake of the Black Plague, a text was published
offering advice to help the living prepare for a good death. Written
during the late Middle Ages, ars moriendi--The Art of Dying--made
clear that to die well, one first had to live well and described what
practices best help us prepare. When Dugdale discovered this Medieval
book, it was a revelation. Inspired by its holistic approach to the
final stage we must all one day face, she draws from this forgotten
work, combining its wisdom with the knowledge she has gleaned from her
long medical career. The Lost Art of Dying is a twenty-first century
ars moriendi, filled with much-needed insight and thoughtful guidance
that will change our perceptions. By recovering our sense of finitude,
confronting our fears, accepting how our bodies age, developing
meaningful rituals, and involving our communities in end-of-life care,
we can discover what it means to both live and die well. And like the
original ars moriendi, The Lost Art of Dying includes nine
black-and-white drawings from artist Michael W. Dugger.
Dr. Dugdale offers a hopeful perspective on death and dying as she shows
us how to adapt the wisdom from the past to our lives today. The Lost
Art of Dying is a vital, affecting book that reconsiders death, death
culture, and how we can transform how we live each day, including our
last.
