Death, come closer

doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7408.0-f

BMJ 2003;327 (26 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7408.0-f

Editor's choice

Death, come closer

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Death gives life meaning. Without death every birth would bea tragedy. The thought that I might be editing the BMJ forthe next 5000 years is perhaps even more awful for me thanfor you. Gulliver was vastly excited when he travelled to Laputaand heard of the Strudbruggs, the immortals. He imagined themwith their "minds free and disengaged, without the weight anddepression of Spirits caused by the continual Apprehension of Death." In fact they were the most miserable of people. Oneof their "prevailing Passions" was envy of the deaths of theold. Truly, where there is death there is hope, not only forthose who want to follow but also for those who must die.

"The fear of death is being replaced by the fear of dying," writes Jocalyn Clark, the BMJ editor who has assembled thisissue (p 174). I suspect that . . . [Full text of this article]

Richard Smith, editor

(rsmith@bmj.com)

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