ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by recalling the "classic" deathbed scene, in which the dying person takes to his or her bed and is surrounded by loved ones until the last breath. To help provide a "framework" for understanding these rapidly changing social realities, sociologists sometimes think of societies in relation to one of the most revolutionary events in human history: industrialization. Beginning in the latter half of the nineteenth century, with the dawning of industrialization and advances that came with the use of the scientific method, modern medicine began to make significant advances in what became a battle with disease. Although the Abraham Flexner Report is often credited with advancing modern medicine in the US, it did not come without adverse social consequences. Herman Feifel's explorations into the suspected death anxiety of health care providers marked the beginnings of present-day research into professional attitudes about death.
