Medical Humanities Companion Volume 4 eBook

'Music begins and ends in silence, just as conscious life does.  A child emerges from eternity, takes a first breath, and cries. With any luck it will be many years before the silence falls again. Scientific medicine can only partly fathom the music within each life, but when the doctor listens and engages with that special attention born of both expertise and commitment, the consultation creates a space that allows medical care to achieve its true purpose and potential.'From the IntroductionThis fourth volume in the Companion to Medical Humanities series contemplates the challenge of the prognosis, of looking ahead, wondering what will happen, and attempting to make sense of life and death.Beautifully written, it encourages a positive view of life's unpredictability in all its richness, and considers, through personal and professional perspectives, the role of the medical profession in guiding patient experience.It offers inspirational reading for all academics and professionals with an interest in the medical humanities, as well as researchers in philosophy of medicine and medical ethics.