ABSTRACT
The study of death and dying helps to dispel certain myths that can effect our attitudes and interfere with the practice of good physical and emotional care for terminal patients. The myth of Lazarus for example is among the early known fallacies associated with death and dying. During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries it was commonly believed that the moment of death was synonymous with excruciating mortal torment. Myths about terminal patients are closely associated with our attitudes about disease itself. Modern misconceptions about cancer are not too different from our image of the plagues that tormented the people of Europe centuries ago. The average person who has seen the physical damage and disfigurement that can result from cancer of the face and throat might be inclined to question whether the above statement is a myth. Cancer is a catastrophic disease that destroys the body by producing abnormal cells in great abundance.
