Thanatology is the scientific study of death. It investigates the circumstances surrounding death, the grief experienced by the deceased's loved ones, and larger social attitudes towards death. It is primarily an interdisciplinary study, frequently undertaken by professionals in nursing, psychiatry, and veterinary science. It also describes bodily changes that acompany death and after-death period. Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Science For the scientific journal named Science, see Science (journal). ... Death is the cessation of physical life in a living organism, or the state of the organism after that event. ... A funeral in Sarajevo, in 1992-1993. ... Interdisciplinary work is that which integrates concepts across different disciplines. ... Nursing is a discipline focused on assisting individuals, families and communities in attaining, re-attaining and maintaining optimal health and functioning. ... Psychiatry is the branch of medicine that studies, diagnoses and treats mental illness and behavioral disorders. ... Veterinary medicine is the application of medical diagnostic and therapeutic principles to companion, domestic, exotic, wildlife, and production animals. ...

The word is derived from the Greek language. In Greek mythology, Thanatos (θάνατος: "death") is the personification of death. The English suffix -ology derives from the Greek suffix -logia (-λογια: "speaking"). Greek (Greek Ελληνικά, IPA – Hellenic) is an Indo-European language with a documented history of 3,500 years. ... Greek mythology consists of an extensive collection of narratives detailing the lives and adventures of a wide variety of gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines, which were first envisioned and disseminated in an oral-poetic tradition. ... In Greek mythology, Thanatos (θάνατος, death) was the personification of death (Roman equivalent: Mors). ... The Grim Reaper. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Suffix has meanings in linguistics, nomenclature and computer science. ... The English suffix -ology denotes a field of study or academic discipline, and -ologist describes a person who studies that field. ...

Goals

In most cases, thanatology is studied as a means towards the end of providing palliative care for dying individuals and their families. According to the World Health Organization, "palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness," involving the "treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual." [1] Thanatology recognizes that, ultimately, death is inevitable. It works to develop guidelines to ease the process of dying. Palliative care: To palliate means to cover or cloak. ... WHO emblem The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations, acting as a coordinating authority on international public health, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. ... Pain is an unpleasant sensation which may be associated with actual or potential tissue damage and which may have physical and emotional components. ...

Thanatology does not directly explore the meaning of life and of death. Medically, this question is irrelevant to those studying it. Some medical texts refer to inquiries of the meaning of life and death as absurd and futile. However, the question is very relevant to the psychological health of those involved in the dying process: individuals, families, communities, and cultures. Thanatology explores how the question affects those involved, not the question itself. ... Psychology (ancient Greek: psyche = soul or mind, logos/-ology = study of) is an academic and applied field involving the study of the human mind and human behavior. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Culture The neutrality of this article is disputed. ...

Many individuals who study thanatology do so because they believe that life is valuable. Death is the end of life, making the study of it worthwhile by association. Their primary goal is to ease and improve the dying process, both for the dying and for that person's loved ones. This goal is consistent with the Hippocratic Oath. The Hippocratic Oath is an oath traditionally taken by physicians, in which certain ethical guidelines are laid out. ...

There is also a branch of thanatology called music thanatology which focuses on the use of "music vigils" to help the individual and their family. More information may be found by searching music thanatology and the chalice of repose.

Fields of study

As an interdisciplinary study, thanatology relies on collaboration with many different fields of study. Death is a universal human concern; it has been examined and re-examined in a wide variety of disciplines, dating back to pre-history. Some of these fields of study are academic in nature; others have evolved throughout history as cultural traditions. Because death is such a broad and complex subject, thanatology relies on a holistic approach. Plato is credited with the inception of academia: the body of knowledge, its development and transmission across generations. ... Holism (from holos, a Greek word meaning whole) is the idea that the properties of a system cannot be determined or explained by the sum of its components alone. ...

The humanities are, perhaps, the very oldest disciplines to explore death. Historically, the average human had a significantly lower standard of living and lifespan in the past than he or she would today. Wars, famine, and disease always kept death close at hand. Artists, authors, and poets often employed the universality of death as a motif in their works; this trend continues today. The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view. ...

The social sciences are often involved on both the individual and on the cultural level. The individual level is primarily covered by psychology, the study of individual minds. Avoiding (or, in some cases, seeking) death is an important human motive; the fear of death affects and effects many individuals' actions. Terms like SOSE (Studies of Society & the Environment) not only refer to social sciences but also studies of the environment. ... Psychology (ancient Greek: psyche = soul or mind, logos/-ology = study of) is an academic and applied field involving the study of the human mind and human behavior. ... The English suffix -phobia is used to describe fear or hatred (the latter is often ignored) of a particular thing or subject. ...

Several social sciences focus on the broad picture, and they too frequently encounter the issue of death. Sociology is the study of social rules. No society is without its attitudes towards death. Sub-disciplines within sociology, such as the sociology of disaster, focus more narrowly on the issue of how societies handle death. Likewise, cultural anthropology and archeology concern themselves with how current and past cultures deal with death, respectively. Society and culture are similar concepts, but their scopes are different. A society is an interdependent community, while culture is an attribute of a community: the complex web of shifting patterns that link individuals together. In any case, both cultures and societies must deal with death; the various cultural studies (many of which overlap with each other) examine this response using a variety of approaches. Social interactions of people and their consequences are the subject of sociology studies. ... In sociology a social rule refers to any social convention commonly adhered to in a society. ... ... Sociology of disaster is a special branch of sociology, research being done mostly for applied purposes, especially in the USA, and to some degree as well in Germany and Italy. ... Cultural anthropology, also called social anthropology or socio-cultural anthropology, forms one of four commonly-recognized fields of anthropology, the holistic study of humanity. ... Archaeology, archeology or archæology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech/discourse) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains and environmental data, including architecture, artifacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Culture The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... This article needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... Cultural studies combines sociology, literary theory, film/video studies, and cultural anthropology to study cultural phenomena in industrial societies. ...

Both religion and mythology concern themselves with what happens after death. They usually involve reincarnation or some form of an afterlife. The universal life-death-rebirth deity glorifies those who are able to overcome death. Although thanatology does not directly investigate the question itself, it is concerned with how people choose to answer the question for themselves. For example, an individual who believes that she will go to heaven when she dies will likely be less afraid of death. Alternately, a terminally ill individual who believes that suicide is a sin may be wracked with guilt. On one hand, he may wish to end the suffering, but on the other hand, he may believe that he will be sent to hell for eternity unless he dies naturally, however long and painful that may be. The loved ones of individuals like these are likewise either consoled or distressed, depending on what they believe will ultimately happen to the dying individual. Faith can inspire comfort, anxiety, and sometimes both. This is an important point to those studying thanatology and the sociology of religion. ... Past Lives redirects here. ... The afterlife (or life after death) is a generic term referring to a continuation of existence, typically spiritual and experiential, beyond this world, or after death. ... The category life-death-rebirth deity also known as a dying-and-rising god is a convenient means of classifying the many divinities in world mythology who are born, suffer death or an eclipse or other death-like experience, pass a phase in the underworld among the dead, and are... Michelangelos interpretation of Heaven Heaven is an afterlife concept found in many religions or spiritual philosophies. ... It has been suggested that Suicide and culture be merged into this article or section. ... Sin has been a term most usually used in a religious context, and today describes any lack of conformity to the will of God; especially, any willful disregard for the norms revealed by God is a sin. ... Guilt is a word describing many concepts related to an emotion or condition caused by actions which are, or are believed to be, morally wrong. ... Medieval illustration of Hell in the Hortus deliciarum manuscript of Herrad of Landsberg (about 1180) Hell is, according to many religious beliefs, a place or a state of painful suffering. ... While in the popular mind, eternity often simply means existing for an infinite, i. ... The word faith has various uses; its central meaning is similar to belief, trust or confidence, but unlike these terms, faith tends to imply a transpersonal rather than interpersonal relationship – with God or a higher power. ... The sociology of religion is – among other elements – the study of the practices, social structures, historical backgrounds, development, universal themes, and roles of religion in society. ...

Medical science and applied medicine are also very important fields of study used in thanatology. The biological study of death helps explain what happens, physically, to individuals in the moment of dying and after-death bodily changes. Pharmacology investigates how prescription drugs can ease death, and in some cases prevent early deaths. Psychiatry, the medical application of psychological principles and theraputic drugs, is also involved; many licensed psychiatrists are required to take courses on thanatology during training. Medical ethics are also an important area of study, especially on the issue of euthanasia ("right to die"). See drugs, medication, and pharmacology for substances that are used to treat patients. ... Medicine is the branch of health science and the sector of public life concerned with maintaining human health or restoring it through the treatment of disease and injury. ... I HATE BIOLOGY Biology is the branch of science dealing with the study of life. ... Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmacon (φάρμακον) meaning drug, and logos (λόγος) meaning science) is the study of how chemical substances interact with living systems. ... A medication is a licenced drug taken to cure or reduce symptoms of an illness or medical condition. ... Psychiatry is the branch of medicine that studies, diagnoses and treats mental illness and behavioral disorders. ... Medical ethics is the discipline of evaluating the merits, risks, and social concerns of activities in the field of medicine. ... Euthanasia (from Greek: ευθανασία - ευ good, θανατος death) refers to assisted dying. ...

The Association for Death Education and Counseling, a multi-disciplinary professional organization based in the United States, offers a certification in in thanatology. Requirements include advanced degrees in appropriate fields, such as those mentioned above, and the sitting of a three our proctored competency examination. On passing the examination, members are able to list themselves as "Certified Thanatologists", or add the initials "CT" after their academic degrees.