Sherwin B Nuland How We Die Essay

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In Sherwin B. Nulands novel How We Die: Reflections On Life’s Final Chapter, author Sherwin Bernard Nuland was an American surgeon and writer who taught bioethics, history of medicine, and medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, and occasionally bioethics and history of medicine at Yale College. Nulands novel, How We Die: Reflections On Life’s Final Chapter, Nuland discusses essentially, death. The specific topics in the novel that are covered are the means and methods in which people die, composed in seven different different events that end in death for most individuals. The case studies covered are the primary causes of death, heart disease, murder, AIDS, cancer, and suicide, along with the one cause of death not permitted on a death certificate- …show more content…

For example, there is a way to prevent four of the six lethal diseases presented by Nuland. heart disease, AIDS, cancer, and suicide. These interventions are on a macro and micro level. For example on a macro level, the government can dedicate more time a scientific research into the treatment of the causes of these diseases, such as finding cures to AIDS and Cancer and heart disease, and also discover why these diseases happen in the first place. Along with this, macro levels varying from the government itself to the local school board of a small town can invest in programs that promote healthy living through improved exercise and diet and teaching safe sexual education, helping prevent the diseases of heart disease and AIDS from accepting people later in their lives. Along with this, macro level systems can invest more time into helping people with mental health issues, ending the stigma associated with the disease and providing treatment to those who need it to help end self harm and suicide. On a micro level, people can delay death and the dying process by making the healthy decisions for themselves, such as choosing to be optimistic, not smoking cigarettes, and maintaining a healthy body mass