Birth and death are among the most profound issues of life. From a professional standpoint, dealing with end-of-life care, as well as dealing with obstetrical care have differences of course, but also many similarities. And for everybody, how these times in life affect us and those around us, are complex, difficult but often meaningful. In my musings, I would like to explore some of these complex thoughts and ideas in depth. Feel free to comment or add your ideas in the Contact page.
Susan’s Musings
Parallel Pioneers in Compassionate Care: Dr. Balfour Mount and Dr. Murray Enkin
One of my heroes died recently. Dr. Balfour Mount (1939-2025) was a Canadian pioneer in palliative care. He founded the first palliative care service, in fact the first in North America, at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal in 1974. Trained as a urologist and surgeon, he was moved by the suffering he witnessed among patients dying in his hospital.
Whose life is it anyway?
Many times over my years in family practice, I sat with people as they navigated some of the most tender and difficult crossroads of their lives. A teenager facing an unplanned pregnancy, a cancer patient thinking about medical assistance in dying, the person wrestling with depression and suicidal thoughts—the question that kept surfacing was: Who’s life is it anyway?
What If We Treated Birth like Death in Our Society?
In the not too distant past, open displays of pregnancy were frowned upon. We often discouraged pregnant women from working. They dressed in tent-like garments to hide their bump. On television, their condition was hidden from view until Lucillle Ball broke the taboo by using her own pregnancy in I Love Lucy. Look how far we have come. Now we celebrate pregnancy with baby showers, birth plans, prenatal classes, books, apps and more. Families prepare for the new arrival.
Navigating the Medical Conversation: a Guide for Patients—and Professionals
It is difficult to absorb large amounts of information, especially when the news is bad. We tend to stop absorbing much after certain triggering words come up: “cancer”, abnormality”, etc. And all too often, professions use jargon, or words they might use everyday, but not understood by the general public.