Humanities and obituaries

As a retired octogenarian physician, there is a paucity of residual lifelong benefits to the professional memberships paid into, in tens of thousands of dollars, over a practice lifetime. For example, I still receive the CMAJ both online and, quite surprisingly, in print copy. It is one of the only print holdouts in the current digitalized world of medical journalism. The CMAJ is a well-respected journal that I have been receiving in one format or another for the past 55 years. My reading interests have changed, however. Now in retirement, my interests in clinical articles, guidelines, research and practice have been replaced by the humanities and obituaries sections.In the March-April 2026 edition of the CMAJ, there are two wonderful humanities stories, “Rowing to the moon” by Dr. Stephen Workman and “Father’s Day” by Dr. Marlon Danilewitz. The former begins, “Not always, but too often, my patient and I both watch my right hand as it shakes”. The latter begins, “My first act on becoming a father was calling the burial society for our stillborn son.” Each of these thoughtful and genuinely personal stories moved me to tears. In my old age, I find that my hold on emotional control is yielding to stories that are both sensitively crafted and personally relatable. Drs. Workman and Danilewitz have mined the depths of their hearts and souls and have shared the intimacies of their most private thoughts and lived experiences. This a unique gift and we are the grateful recipients of their generosity of creative expression. Strategically situated in the final pages of the CMAJ are the obituaries, the proverbial last words. Each obituary entails a succinct capsule summary of a physician’s life: place of residence and practice, school graduated from, specialty and age at death, along with a memorial/formal obituary link. There is little to glean from these brief notices. How do you summarize a life in a mere 15 words? I have occasionally sought out the full memorial details when the deceased was an old colleague or even a medical school classmate. I used to read the obits in the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail—an informal daily “rounds” of scrutinizing death notices of old friends, acquaintances, colleagues and even patients. I should note that years ago our hospital communication and notification protocol efficiencies with regards to patient deaths was somewhere between sadly inadequate and non-existent. It was always a disappointment to learn, after the fact, postmortem, that I had lost the opportunity to offer condolences and comfort loved ones in a respectful and timely manner. In my non-frenzied retirement schedule of daily activities, there is a visitation to the website of the two primary Jewish funeral chapels in Toronto. I review these almost every day. Our Toronto Jewish community, although relatively small, is a large extended family with converging backgrounds and shared history. When I read each death notice, even for complete strangers, there is often a connection to which I am familiar. In addition, I scan the “personal messages,” wherein often lies the personal narrative, the story revealing the biographical history of the deceased. There is much to learn in the study of obituaries. This is not a death obsession I have, it is, however, the reality of mortality through the eyes of an 80-year-old.I am grateful to the CMA for receiving their J (journal). I am especially thankful to those physician writers who open their hearts and share their innermost personal thoughts and experiences with such a widespread, yet anonymous audience. They rarely receive recognition acknowledging their narrative skills nor the insightful impact their words have on a captivated professional audience. They are contributing to the humanity that is often lost in today’s practice of medicine. As for the obituaries, they are stark statements of fact, a recognition of a passing, and it is left to the reader to pursue the details of their lives. These were our colleagues, our friends, our classmates and our patients. They are remembered in printed notices and in the minds and hearts of a respectful profession.

Humanities and obituaries

Register for free access or login.

More Blog Posts In This Series

Thank you for your service

The pursuit of happiness

Can the heart of healing endure?

Blog Author

HOWARD GOLDSTEIN

Related Topics