8 of grief,
69
,
70
Adam and Eve,
63
advance directive.
See
living will
Africa: cultural beliefs, 13, 25;
funeral rites,
57
; life expectancy
in, 22
afterlife, 83; journey of the soul,
12–16; limbo, 26–27;
reincarnation, 12–13, 85
aging process, 19
ancient cultures: and birds, 75;
Egyptians, 13–15, 36, 42, 43, 51,
85; funeral feast, 61; Gilgamesh,
75; Greeks,
12
, 13, 15, 16, 34, 35,
45, 51, 55, 61; Roman, 45, 51, 61,
65; use of mummification, 43
Anglican
Book of Common Prayer
, 41
Aristotle,
13
atoms, cycle of life, 11, 39, 41
Australia, Yolngu people, 51
autopsy, 23, 83
Bali, cremation ceremony,
56
bereavement, 70, 83
bioethicists, 29, 83
bioethics: life support systems, 30,
84; physician-assisted death,
35, 85
birds, as symbols,
12
, 36,
37
black, as color of mourning, 62–63,
65
Black Death, 21, 83
Book of the Dead,
14
, 83
brain death: and end of life, 30, 32,
83; vegetative state, 30, 85
Buddhism, 13, 45,
46
–47,
77
, 84
burial practices, 83; burial at sea,
47
; cemeteries, 9, 24, 41–42, 83;
ceremonies, 60–61; cremation,
44–46, 83; green burial, 49,
84; mausoleums, 42,
48
, 84;
mummification,
43–44
, 84; sky
burial,
46
–47, 85
Canada: Camp Erin®,
74
; cremation
in, 45; Haida and Tsimshian
people, 51; life expectancy, 22;
modern medicine, 29; physician-
assisted death, 35; suicide laws, 34
candlelight vigil,
55
,
68
,
72
Capsula Mundi,
49
catacombs, 42, 83
cells, 83; and aging, 19;
decomposition, 39–41
cemeteries (graveyards),
9
,
24
,
41–42, 83
Cerberus, three-headed dog, 16
Charon, ferryman of the dead, 16,
17
children: death of babies, 24; and
grief, 69, 71; life expectancy,
23–24; Victorian, 60
China: mourning clothing colors,
65; Qingming festival, 77, 85;
Terracotta Army,
48
; Tibetan
Buddhist sky burial,
46
Christianity, 15,
20
, 41, 42, 45,
62–
63
, 65
clothing: colors of mourning,
58–59
, 65; funeral dress,
54
;
mourning period, 53, 60, 62–63
coffins (caskets), 41,
50
–51, 83.
See also
shroud
colors, 20,
58–59
, 62–63, 65
columbarium, 46, 83
corpse, 20, 83
cremains, 46, 83
cremation, 44–46, 49, 83; ceremony,
56
,
58–59
; pyre, 45, 60, 85;
urns, 46,
49
crematorium, 46, 83
cryonic suspension,
25
, 83
Davidson, Hugh,
63
Day of the Dead festival,
67
, 76
death: autopsy, 23, 83; brain, 30,
32, 83; causes of, 20, 23, 24–25;
and family, 7,
9
; at home, 29;
near-death experiences, 13; organ
donations,
32
–33; talking about,
7, 9, 79; thanatology, 12, 85
death doulas, 33
decomposition, 39–41, 83
disease: contagious, 21; terminal
illness, 33, 34–35, 85
doctors: Hippocratic oath, 34; in
the Middle Ages,
21
, 24; modern
medicine, 29–32; pathologist,
23, 84
do-not-resuscitate (
dnr
) order,
32, 83
dying: hospice, 9,
33
, 84; impact
of technology, 30,
31
; palliative
care, 33, 84; stained-glass window
image,
39
Eastern Europe folklore, 27
Egyptians: mummification,
43
;
mythology, 13–15, 36; pyramids,
42; sarcophagi, 51, 85; use of
model boats, 15
86
Page numbers in
bold
indicate an image; there may also be text relating to the same topic on that page
Index