Death Foretold: Prophecy and Prognosis in Medical Care

![][1] Nicholas A Christakis University of Chicago Press, £19, pp 296 ISBN 0 226 10470 2 Rating: ![Graphic][2] ![Graphic][3] ![Graphic][4] When I visit a teaching hospital and review a seriously ill patient's case with trainees, I often ask something like, “What do you imagine this lady's life will be like in a few months?” Until recently, I was regularly met with an answer like, “I'm glad that's not my job.” As a … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif [2]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif [3]: /embed/inline-graphic-2.gif [4]: /embed/inline-graphic-3.gif