Sunday, August 19, 2018

Prisoners of taste buds

This is one observation I gathered over the years while working as a physician, and near to deathbeds of many human beings. Patients who know that death is imminent for them (like hospice patients), love to ask for their favorite food and desserts.

Compounding that, a few years ago, I met a physician who worked at a prison where they execute death row prisoners. He told me that one reason we provide food to those prisoners of their own choice before their execution as it makes their death more palatable to them. While they consume food, they forget about their incoming death or at least become numb, and sometimes even hopeful that death is not that near.

One of the consultants in our hospital regularly brings donuts, food, and snacks for house staff and nursing staff. Last week, he jokingly informed me that, humans are prisoners of their own taste buds.

I pondered on this for many years. This is like an anomalous observation in the present-day paradigm of psychology science, for which at least at this point, I don't have any clear explanation!



This link may be of interest to you: Last meal requests:: https://cbsn.ws/2wgUNKa

3 comments:

EyeAre said...

Kuhn?

bsc said...

I saw the pictures of last meals of 0 prisoners (all men) What bothered me was the time they spent in prison. 7 to 37 years One spent 34 years in prison out of his life of 69 years One spent 36 years in prison out of his life of 72 years. What kind of Justice is that (never mind the money from our pockets spent on them)
Any way I have always wondered why the thought of death or expectation should NOT bother us who are not sentenced (or are we?) I have wanted to speak to some such person like a terminal case/patient about death but I cant dofor being impertinent or unethical, just want to know his feelings toward life and death preferably my friend. I am going to see one such friend who has Myeloma and his wife has already had successful surgery for breast ca. Strange but now that I am almost 85 year old I think of my own death but I still think of it in years not days or months. An Aya from S Maárij comes to mind although Qur'án is talking about Qiyama and not death
"they consider it far but We see it near

mystic-soul said...

EyeAre: Indeed - Kuhn :)

Uncle: Life is not fair. This saying is so real. I guess everything revolves around the concept of death.