 |
 |
Hi Liz, I am not sure whether that was a tongue in cheek question or not regarding cause of death. From a medical viewpoint the immediate cause of death is important. Knowledge as to complications which can occur from the primary illness like in the case of PD aspiration pneumonia- a complication is important to document because it may be preventable. Nonetheless, from the practical standpoint especially for the deceased and their family the individual is just as dead whether they died from PD, pneumonia, a pulmonary embolus, or a medical book falling in their head. Charlie Elizabeth Southwood wrote: > I think, trying to recollect, it said (I just checked and yesterday's obits > are gone) from complications caused by P... What, I'd like to know anyway, is > the difference between dying of something and dying of complications caused by > it? If, say, I break my hip from falling down because of loss of balance due > to Parkinsons, is my broken hip not caused by Parkinsons? I suppose somebody > would say, no, it's caused by twisting as I fall. Just as a cancer patient > doesn't die of cancer, but of starvation or malnutrition. > > Charming thoughts for a late autumn night!! Liz S. -- ****************************************************************************************** Charles T. Meyer, M.D. Middleton (Madison), Wisconsin [log in to unmask] ******************************************************************************************