Death Foretold: Prophecy and Prognosis in Medical Care

by Nicholas A. Christakis

This groundbreaking book explains prognosis from the perspective of doctors, examining why physicians are reluctant to predict the future, how doctors use prognosis, the symbolism it contains, and the emotional difficulties it involves. Drawing on his experiences as a doctor and sociologist, Nicholas Christakis interviewed scores of physicians and searched dozens of medical textbooks and medical school curricula for discussions of prognosis in an attempt to get to the core of this nebulous medical issue that, despite its importance, is only partially understood and rarely discussed.

"Highly recommended for everyone from patients wrestling with their personal prognosis to any medical practitioner touched by this bioethical dilemma."— Library Journal, starred review

"[T]he first full general discussion of prognosis ever written. . . . [A] manifesto for a form of prognosis that's equal parts prediction-an assessment of likely outcomes based on statistical averages-and prophecy, an intuition of what lies ahead."—Jeff Sharlet, Chicago Reader

"[S]ophisticated, extraordinarily well supported, and compelling. . . . [Christakis] argues forcefully that the profession must take responsibility for the current widespread avoidance of prognosis and change the present culture. This prophet is one whose advice we would do well to heed."—James Tulsky, M.D., New England Journal of Medicine

Genres: Medicine, Medical, Science, History

350 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Nicholas A. Christakis, MD, PhD, MPH, is the Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale University, with appointments in the departments of Sociology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Statistics and Data Science, Biomedical Engineering, and Medicine.

Previously, he conducted research and taught for many years at Harvard University and at the University of Chicago. He was on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2009. He worked as a hospice physician in underserved communities in Chicago and Boston until 2011.

Nowadays, he spends most of his time in the Human Nature Lab, where his team explores a broad set of ideas, including: understanding the evolutionary, genetic, and physiological bases of friendship; encouraging villages in the developing world to adopt new public health practices (working in locations in Honduras, India, and Uganda); mapping social networks in settings around the world; arranging people into online groups so that they behave better (such as being more cooperative and more truthful); developing artificial intelligence that helps humans address challenges in collective action; exploring the effect of social interactions on the human microbiome; and more. When he is not in the lab, he teaches at Yale University.

Christakis was elected a Fellow to the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 2006, to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2010, and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2017.

Reviews

[Suzana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone interested in palliative care.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really sure why it took me so long to read this book. I will say, it took a while to get into it. I tried to read it like a novel, when I should have read it like a 200 page research paper. Get your pen, and mark up your book.

I didn’t know there was this much to know about prognosis. The bottom lines are mind blowing. I guess I probably knew that doctors were magically thinking about prognosis but to see it borne out in research is just 😵‍💫🤯

I do wish that Dr. Christakis spent more time in the heart of the book talking about WHY doctors have a duty to prognosticate, rather than just at the end. Doctors do have a duty to prognosticate. It helps people make decisions. And who is more important in this relationship? Us or them?

[Alyce Yang]

helped me to realize the necessity of a truthful prognosis in allowing for adequate preparation, emotional stability, and decision-making. very much prepared me to advocate for myself + family + friends.

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book with some mystery when i coms to why he was killed