"Fighting demons": Stigma and shifting norms in explicit mention of overdose in obituaries, 2010-2019

Obituaries are often the only published record of an individual's life and elicit community reactions, including stigmatization. Because obituaries are typically written by the bereaved, their content reflects the writer's perceptions of mores governing the social context of the next-of-kin and decedent. When a cause of death is stigmatized, it can influence the way the bereaved write the obituary. However, what constitutes a stigmatized cause of death may change as larger societal discourses of morality shift and conditions or events become framed differently. Using a sample of obituaries (N = 210) from obituary aggregator Legacy.com of "off-time," or premature, deaths in West Virginia from 2010, 2015, 2017, and 2019, this article explores whether the presentation of overdose deaths in obituaries changes alongside the shift in the public framing of the opioid crisis as medical rather than criminal. I find obituaries including terms associated with drug use and overdose become both more common and explicit over the course of the study period. This suggests that the shift in public framing of the opioid crisis from criminalization to medicalization corresponds with a decrease in drug stigmatization in obituaries. Obituary analysis can be a useful means of exploring the stigmatization of other controversial causes of death, such as suicide, cirrhosis, and lung cancer.

Equal in ashes? Exploring socioeconomic inequalities in lifespan based on obituary data in Austria

Understanding the emergence of and changes in socioeconomic inequalities in lifespan requires reliable, longitudinal data. In the absence of administrative data, published obituaries may be one such alternative source. With the validity of drawing relevant data from obituaries not yet established in population health research, this study addresses this gap by estimating socioeconomic inequalities in lifespan in Vorarlberg, Austria. Data for all individuals (n = 1490) with obituaries published (July to December 2022) in a regional newspaper (market share: 56%) were extracted, including different markers of the deceased's socioeconomic status. Linear regression analyses showed that, on average, individuals with medium-sized obituaries lived 6.02 years (95% CI: 4.19, 7.85) and individuals with the largest obituaries 12.04 years (95% CI: 7.04, 17.04) longer than individuals with small obituaries while blue-collar workers lived 10.50 years (95% CI: -14.51, -6.49) shorter than individuals with no occupation (reported). This socioeconomic gradient is in line with findings based on national data sources, and comparisons with official regional data are promising regarding data representativeness and completeness. With obituary size reflecting different costs (€210-€1626) and thus being a novel marker for financial ability, obituaries could also be a useful, innovative data source internationally for historical analyses or "nowcasting" health inequalities.

Brian Fowell Buxton (15/04/1940-20/05/2022)-Outstanding Achievements and Personal Memories

Brian F. Buxton, one of Australia's greatest cardiac surgeons, died in May 2022, aged 82 years. In June 2022, a memorial celebration of Brian's life was held in Melbourne, Australia, attended by 550 colleagues and friends from many walks of life-not only "medical people" but also friends involved in Brian's sailing and hiking activities. This Special Article includes an introduction from Professor Jayme Bennetts, President of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS), an abridged version of a memorial address by Professor James Tatoulis and contributions from two other long-term professional colleagues and personal friends of Buxton, Professor Jaishankar Raman and Professor Franklin Rosenfeldt, founding editor of Heart, Lung and Circulation. Buxton was an outstanding and pioneering surgeon, clinical leader, and good friend to many. The Brian F. Buxton Cardiac and Thoracic Aortic Surgery Unit in Melbourne, Australia, is now so named in honour of his outstanding achievements and as a legacy. Vale Brian F. Buxton.

Jan Beneken (1934-2021): European modeling and simulation pioneer

This obituary highlights a number of contributions by Professor Jan Beneken (1934-2021) to modeling of human physiology and pharmacology and to simulation-based training.

François Diederich (1952-2020): 40 Years of Organic Chemistry

François Diederich, Professor of Organic Chemistry and long-time Chair of the Editorial Board of Angewandte Chemie, sadly passed away on September 23, 2020. He will be remembered for his groundbreaking research in the chemistry of fullerenes and carbon-rich molecules, in supramolecular and medicinal chemistry, as an engaging teacher, and as a generous and fascinating human being.

Harley William Moon (1936-2018)

Harley William Moon,DVM, Ph.D., an outstanding American person and researcher of comparative microbiology and pathology of intestinal diseases, the former director of the USDA, ARS, National Animal Disease Center (Iowa), of Plum Island Animal Disease Center (New York) and of Veterinary Research Institute of Iowa State University, member of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) passed away after some difficult and lonely last years of his life, on October 7, 2018 at the age of 82.

Neocles B. Leontis (1955 - 2020)

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In Memoriam: A Memoir for Our Fallen "Heroes"

Even though neurosurgeons exercise these enormous and versatile skills, the COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the fabrics of the global neurosurgical family, jeopardizing human lives, and forcing the entire world to be locked down. We stand on the shoulders of the giants and will not forget their examples and their teachings. We will work to the best of our ability to honor their memory. Professor Harvey Cushing said: "When to take great risks; when to withdraw in the face of unexpected difficulties; whether to force an attempted enucleation of a pathologically favorable tumor to its completion with the prospect of an operative fatality, or to abandon the procedure short of completeness with the certainty that after months or years even greater risks may have to be faced at a subsequent session-all these require surgical judgment which is a matter of long experience." It is up to us, therefore, to keep on the noble path that we have decided to undertake, to accumulate the surgical experience that these icons have shown us, the fruit of sacrifice and obstinacy. Our tribute goes to them; we will always remember their excellent work and their brilliant careers that will continue to enlighten all of us.

Mario Bunge (1919-2020): Physicist, philosopher, champion of science, and citizen of the world

Mario Bunge, the centenarian Argentine/Canadian physicist/philosopher passed away in the loving company of his wife Marta and children Eric and Silvia on February 24, 2020 in Montréal, Ontario. This memoriam reviews his life and work, particularly his contributions to physics and philosophy of science.

The Legacy of a Neurosurgeon: A U.S.-Based Obituary Analysis

BACKGROUND

Textual analysis of obituaries provides insight into the shared values of a profession or community. Neurosurgeon obituaries are frequently published in both the medical literature and the lay press, but the content of these works has never been analyzed.

METHODS

Using obituary pieces from Neurosurgery, Journal of Neurosurgery, and the New York Times, frequent terms were quantified through preliminary text analysis to derive the relative importance of concepts such as innovation, research, training and family. The sentiment of these obituaries was qualitatively reviewed to approximate perceptions of neurosurgical legacy within the profession and the general public.

RESULTS

Thirty relevant obituaries with full text available were identified in the Journal of Neurosurgery, 14 were identified in Neurosurgery, and 23 were identified in the New York Times. Both neurosurgical journals and lay press articles relied on linear narratives, with greater emphasis on professional leadership and residency training in neurosurgical journals and proportionally greater mention of family in the lay press.

CONCLUSIONS

Our preliminary text analysis of neurosurgeon obituaries suggest what values are shared among the professional community and general public regarding the legacy of a neurosurgeon.

A tribute to Sheik Humarr Khan and all the healthcare workers in West Africa who have sacrificed in the fight against Ebola virus disease: Mae we hush

The Kenema Government Hospital Lassa Fever Ward in Sierra Leone, directed since 2005 by Dr. Sheikh Humarr Khan, is the only medical unit in the world devoted exclusively to patient care and research of a viral hemorrhagic fever. When Ebola virus disease unexpectedly appeared in West Africa in late 2013 and eventually spread to Kenema, Khan and his fellow healthcare workers remained at their posts, providing care to patients with this devastating illness. Khan and the chief nurse, Mbalu Fonnie, became infected and died at the end of July, a fate that they have sadly shared with more than ten other healthcare workers in Kenema and hundreds across the region. This article pays tribute to Sheik Humarr Khan, Mbalu Fonnie and all the healthcare workers who have acquired Ebola virus disease while fighting the epidemic in West Africa. Besides the emotional losses, the death of so many skilled and experienced healthcare workers will severely impair health care and research in affected regions, which can only be restored through dedicated, long-term programs.

In memoriam of Professor Theodore L. Munsat (1930-2013): his outstanding legacy with the WFN

The World Federation of Neurology (WFN) lost an outstanding leader on November 22, 2013 with the death of Professor Theodore Leon Munsat ("Ted"), in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA. Professor Munsat was Emeritus professor of Neurology at Tufts University School of Medicine and served the WFN in several capacities as trustee, chairman of the WFN Education and research committees, chairman of the WFN ALS Research group and founding director of the WFN Seminars in Clinical Neurology. He was president of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), 1989-1991, chairman of the Continuing Educational Committee of the AAN and founding director of AAN's premier continuing medical education journal Continuum: Lifelong Learning in Neurology. He left an outstanding legacy with the WFN.

Hugh Henry Bentall, a pioneer of cardiovascular surgery

Hugh Henry Bentall, the inventor of the surgical procedure that enabled concomitant replacement of the aortic valve and ascending aorta, died on September 2012 at the age of 92. He was the first Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery in the United Kingdom, at the Hammersmith Hospital, and carried out the first open-heart operations with a heart-lung machine in London in 1953. Besides cardiac surgery, he paid particular attention to cardiac anatomy and embryology, which he enriched even following retirement. He leaves three sons and a daughter.

Remembering for tomorrow: Professor Mansour Ali Haseeb

This is a highlight of the obituary ceremony in tribute to Professor Mansour Ali Haseeb (1910 - 1973), organized by the Medical Students Association of the Faculty of Medicine, the University of Khartoum (U of K). Professor Haseeb has been the first Sudanese Professor and first Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. He was an outstanding humane teacher, mentor and researcher, and was awarded the international Dr. Shousha Foundation Prize and Medal by the WHO. He was also an active citizen in public life and became Mayor of Omdurman City. The obituary ceremony reflected the feelings of the medical community and included speeches by Professor Abdalla El Tayeb, President of U of K; the Dean, Faculty of Medicine; the Late Professor Haseeb's colleagues and students, His family representative, and an elegy poem.