How Doctors Die

Written by Ken Murray

The essay, How Doctors Die, discusses the major difference between the views of doctors and patients regarding death. Ken Murray states that most doctors prefer to die naturally, rather than being put on life-support and going through other serious medical treatments. This preference differs greatly from the average patient, who usually wants to live as long as possible. Murray, who is a former doctor, has seen many ill people suffer through painful and expensive treatments just to live a few more torturous months. In the essay, Murray shares stories of his cousin and his mentor, who both chose to die naturally and spend the final months of their lives doing things they loved, instead of in a hospital with dozens of tubes and drugs in their bodies. Ken Murray directs this essay towards families with a loved one that is terminally ill. How Doctors Die was written to inform families of the major decision they will be forced to make when that loved one is on their death bed. Murray knows that medical treatment can only do so much, so he urges the readers to choose the more natural death, where they can go out happily with their family. To effectively achieve his purpose, Ken Murray uses parentheses as a rhetorical device to add extra information that helps the reader understand the context of the essay. Murray explains that even in common medical procedures such as CPR, great pain is inflicted upon the patients as it breaks their ribs. Following this statement, Murray adds in parentheses, “That’s what happens if CPR is done right” (232). This little piece of information is an eye-opener for readers; even when CPR is done right, there is still painful side effects. Murray uses parentheses again when talking about his cousin, Torch, to explain that he was named after a flashlight used by his parents when he was born in their home. In this case, the parentheses add a little humor to the serious subject of death. This will keep the reader focused, so they pay more attention to Murray’s argument. Overall, I felt that the combination of the real-life examples and the attention-grabbing parentheses allowed Ken Murray to accomplish his purpose. Murray’s arguments appealed to readers’ emotions and proved to be interesting and convincing.

Source- estatevaults.com

In the essay, Ken Murray mentions that many people, including doctors, get a tattoo saying "do not resuscitate". This tattoo signifies that the person wants to die naturally and not be saved by medical technology and treatments.