We have learned a great deal in recent years about keeping death at bay through medical technology. We are less well informed, however, about how to face death and how to understand or articulate the emotional and spiritual needs of the dying. This profound and eloquent book brings together medical experts and distinguished authorities in the humanities to reflect on medical, cultural, and religious responses to death. The book helps both medical personnel and patients to view death less as an adversary and more as a defining part of life. In the first half of the book, physicians and the...

"Our intent was to provide a book that would let the everyday practitioner understand that he or she had stories to tell, roads to walk, pictures to paint, tunes to play--and that there is life outside, even after, medicine."--from the preface
This book examines the lives of twenty-seven physicians--twenty-one men and six women--who have combined the aim to heal with other pursuits such as art, writing, music, or politics. Their fascinating testimonies illustrate the personal gratification and inspiration that can be gained from integrating medicine with another passionately engaging...

Can I become a doctor? Should I? How can I find out? What is it like to be in medical school? What other careers in the health field might be right for me? What are the satisfactions and pitfalls of a career in medicine?

For anyone pondering a career in medicine or a related health profession, this book is an invaluable guide. It contains the firsthand advice of men and women working in the health field today. These diverse professionals describe how and why they made their career choices and what the journey has been like. They tell their stories with candor and humor, sharing their...