The Lost Art Of Dting

"The Lost Art of Dying" (2020) by L.S. Dugdale is an insightful exploration of life, mortality, and the human psyche’s relationship with death. Inspired by historical wisdom, Dugdale revives the medieval ars moriendi tradition, a concept that views dying as an art, complete with preparatory practices to facilitate a good death. This book is both a philosophical treatise and practical guide, compelling readers to question modern medicine's approach to prolonging life at all costs. Dugdale, a physician herself, uniquely balances the medical with the existential, urging a return to conversations about death in order to better enjoy and appreciate life.

Her writing is thoughtful and compassionate, providing a fresh perspective on a topic often shrouded in fear and avoidance. Rather than focusing solely on medical solutions, she emphasizes the importance of community, spiritual reflection, and acceptance. This book encourages a paradigm shift towards understanding dying as a natural part of the human experience, prompting readers to live more fully. "The Lost Art of Dying" is a poignant, inspiring read for anyone seeking deeper understanding of life’s final journey.

Second Life

Second Life: Having a child in the digital age
By Amanda Hess (2025)

This was an interview with the author on Fresh Air, May 7, 2025.  These are my notes from the podcast.

This book addresses how technology has changed having a baby. It takes to control our relationship to our own health, our children, etc.
Blame and guilt are baked into the medical system.
With regularity, patients encounter pseudoscience on the Internet. Every weirdness is out there.

Hess describes a website, Flow, that purports to help women through gestation. It has hundreds of millions of users and yet it provides mis- and disinformation.

What spurred her to write her book was that in the early third trimester of her first pregnancy her baby was diagnosed with Beckwith-Wiedemann  syndrome.

She discovered that disability can be divorced from the human side. Her experiences give insight into the patient’s mind. The Internet preys on vulnerable people. It creates a context for patient expectations.

Our culture highly stigmatizes disability. Questions are raised about the ethics and business of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PIGD).
See the book Mercies in Disguise by Gina Kolata
There are aspects of eugenics in all of this.

Today, for those who can afford it, their babies are always being monitored by machines, such as the the “robotic crib” — Snoo Bassinet (discount price ~ $1200 and up).  Surveillance is now confused with care. There is an intrusive element to all of this.  For sure there are some positive features, but the negatives may outweigh them.

Hess sees Internet parent groups as a positive feature of the web.

Technology is not being developed for the betterment of mankind; it is being developed to drive profits for individuals and companies.

This book explores how the digital age impacts on pregnancy and child rearing. It’s an introduction to thinking about how the Internet impacts all aspects of our lives and health.

Mercies in Disguise

Mercies in Disguise: A Story of Hope, a Family's Genetic Destiny, and the Science That Rescued Them
By Gina Kolata (2018)

If your family had a disease that caused significant illness or early death, would you want to find out if you carried the fatal gene?

This remarkable book follows the Baxley family of Hartsdale, South Carolina. It is a medical mystery, beautifully told by Gina. Kolata. The family harbors a mutant gene that causes a progressive neurological disease (GSS). There is science, there is genetics, there is medical ethics, there are questions of faith, and how individuals in their families can react to this life altering realities.

 In Mercies in Disguise, acclaimed New York Times science reporter tells the story of the Baxleys, an almost archetypal family in a small town in South Carolina. A proud and determined clan, many of them doctors, they are struck one by one with an inscrutable illness. They finally discover the cause of the disease after a remarkable sequence of events that many saw as providential. Meanwhile, science, progressing for a half a century along a parallel track, had handed the Baxleys a resolution―not a cure, but a blood test that would reveal who had the gene for the disease and who did not. And science would offer another dilemma―fertility specialists had created a way to spare the children through an expensive process.

A work of narrative nonfiction,     this is the story of a family that took matters into its own hands when the medical world abandoned them. It’s a story of a family that had to deal with unspeakable tragedy and yet did not allow it to tear them apart. And it is the story of a young woman―Amanda Baxley―who faced the future head on, determined to find a way to disrupt her family’s destiny.

The Lady’s Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness

 Sarah Ramey’s book, The Lady’s Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness (2020), was an eye-opener for me.  I asked Chat-GPT for a precise of WOMI.  Here it is, as I edited it.  

"WOMI: Woman with Mysterious Illness" while not a defined entity,  refers to the phenomenon where women experience undiagnosed or misdiagnosed medical conditions. This is an issue many women face, often due to biases in medical research and practice.

Synopsis: Many women suffer from health issues that are not easily diagnosed, sometimes leading to prolonged periods of uncertainty and inadequate care. These mysterious illnesses can include chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, autoimmune disorders, and more, which are often under-researched or not fully understood. The experience of dealing with these conditions can be frustrating and emotionally taxing for both patients and healthcare providers.  A smaller number of these patients are Men with Mysterious Illness (MOMI).

Greater awareness and more dedicated research into women's specific health concerns can lead to better understanding and treatment options.
1. Education and Training: By educating healthcare providers about potential biases and the need for a more holistic approach, care can be improved.
2. Listening to Patients: Encouraging open communication and actively listening to women's experiences can help build trust and lead to more accurate diagnoses.
3. Advocacy: Supporting initiatives that advocate for women's health can lead to policy changes and increased funding for research.
4. Empathy and Support: Understanding the emotional impact on patients can foster empathy and provide the support they need during their health journey.


For Patients: Understanding WOMI can empower women to advocate for themselves, seek second opinions, and gain more control over their healthcare journey. -

For Providers: Understanding the concept of WOMI offers an opportunity to improve diagnostic accuracy, cultivate better patient relationships, and provide personalized care.

By fostering a more inclusive and attentive healthcare environment, both patients and providers can benefit from a more effective and compassionate approach to dealing with mysterious illnesses.

[I took notes on The Lady’s Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness and will share the pdf with anyone who is interested. DJE]