Thursday, January 13, 2005
Happy New Year
A study published in the December 22/29, 2004 issue of JAMA concluded that, contrary to popular belief, people do not wait until after holidays to die:
"In conclusion, analysis of thousands of cancer deaths show no pattern to support the concept that 'death takes a holiday.' We find no evidence that cancer patients are able to postpone their death to survive Christmas, Thanksgiving, or their own birthdays."
Some people who might take issue with these findings are those who attended the Broadway production of Death Takes A Holiday, starring Antonio Banderas, and they are likely to have a number of questions for the study's authors, such as "Why would someone put Antonio Banderas in a play?" and "Why did I see this play?"
"In conclusion, analysis of thousands of cancer deaths show no pattern to support the concept that 'death takes a holiday.' We find no evidence that cancer patients are able to postpone their death to survive Christmas, Thanksgiving, or their own birthdays."
Some people who might take issue with these findings are those who attended the Broadway production of Death Takes A Holiday, starring Antonio Banderas, and they are likely to have a number of questions for the study's authors, such as "Why would someone put Antonio Banderas in a play?" and "Why did I see this play?"
