Deathbed Attendants

Author(s):  
Jacqueline I. Stone

The role of the zenchishiki or deathbed attendant emerged in early medieval Japan as a distinct area of ritual specialization. Securing in the services of a religious guide who would assist one at the end was a crucial preparatory measure for maximizing one’s chances of a good death. Instructions for deathbed practice detail the responsibilities of these attendants, including nursing and encouraging the terminally ill, interpreting their visions, dispelling demonic hindrances, leading the chanting central to deathbed practice, and chanting on behalf of the dying should they fall unconscious. Courtier diaries and official records offer clues to the identity of monks who served in this capacity. Deathbed attendants tended to be, not official monks (kansō) holding clerical rank but semi-reclusive, ascetic monks (tonseisō) whose status “outside” both lay society and formal temple administration enabled them to manage death pollution and claim special expertise over the liminal realm of dying.

Sains Insani ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 20-28
Author(s):  
Aping Sajok

This study is related to the practice of slavery happened in indigenous communities in North Borneo since under the rule of the Sultanate of Sulu and Brunei. The aim of this study to see how slavery is considered as a unique practice and the slave role in daily life, including the type of slaves and relationship between the slave and their owners. This study will use information about slavery in North Borneo which are available from various sources such as diary, Official records of British North Borneo Chartered Company (BNBCC), Reports, News paper, Microfilm, books and articles. Slavery in North Borneo basically influenced by the role of datu’s and pengiran of the Sulu Sultanate and Brunei which sparked demand for slaves. This causes a form of slavery that occurred in the indigenous tribes such as Suluk, Bajau, Iranun, Dusun and Murut. The practice of slavery grow rapidly along with pirate activities which are intertwined with the slave trading in the Borneo sea. However, before settling by James Brooke in Sarawak and BNBCC in North Borneo, the abolition of slavery activities was implemented. Keywords: Slavery, Sulu, Brunei, Native, History, North Borneo, Abstrak: Kajian ini adalah berkaitan dengan amalan perhambaan yang berlaku dalam masyarakat peribumi di Borneo Utara sejak dibawah pengaruh Kesultanan Sulu dan Brunei. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk melihat bagaimana amalan perhambaan dianggap sebagai sebuah amalan yang unik dan peranan golongan hamba tersebut dalam kehidupan harian termasuklah jenis hamba dan bentuk hubungan di antara hamba itu sendiri dan pemilik hamba. Kajian ini akan menggunakan maklumat mengenai perhambaan di Borneo Utara yang boleh didapati daripada pelbagai sumber seperti catatan diari pegawai British, rekod-rekod Syarikat Berpiagam Borneo Utara British (SBBUB), laporan, akhbar, Mikrofilem, Buku-buku dan Artikel yang telah dihasilkan oleh sarjana awal. Perhambaan di Borneo Utara pada dasarnya banyak dipengaruhi oleh peranan pembesar daripada Kesultanan Sulu dan Brunei yang mencetuskan permintaan terhadap hamba. Hal tersebut menyebabkan wujud perhambaan yang berlaku dalam suku peribumi seperti Suluk, Bajau, Iranun, Dusun dan Murut. Amalan ini berkembang pesat bersama dengan aktiviti perlanunan yang saling berkait dengan perdagangan hamba di sekitar perairan Borneo. Namun demikian, menjelang pertapakan James Brooke di Sarawak serta SBBUB di Borneo Utara, penghapusan aktiviti perhambaan ini telah dijalankan. Kata kunci: Perhambaan, Sulu, Brunei, Peribumi, Sejarah, Borneo Utara,


BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanako Koyama ◽  
Chikako Matsumura ◽  
Yoshihiro Shitashimizu ◽  
Morito Sako ◽  
Hideo Kurosawa ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The clinical use of patient-reported outcomes as compared to inflammatory biomarkers for predicting cancer survival remains a challenge in palliative care settings. We evaluated the role of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 15 Palliative scores (EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL) and the inflammatory biomarkers C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin (Alb), and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for survival prediction in patients with advanced cancer. Methods This was an observational study in terminally ill patients with cancer hospitalized in a palliative care unit between June 2018 and December 2019. Patients’ data collected at the time of hospitalization were analyzed. Cox regression was performed to examine significant factors influencing survival. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to estimate cut-off values for predicting survival within 3 weeks, and a log-rank test was performed to compare survival curves between groups divided by the cut-off values. Results Totally, 130 patients participated in the study. Cox regression suggested that the QLQ-C15-PAL dyspnea and fatigue scores and levels of CRP, Alb, and NLR were significantly associated with survival time, and cut-off values were 66.67, 66.67, 3.0 mg/dL, 2.5 g/dL, and 8.2, respectively. The areas under ROC curves of these variables were 0.6–0.7. There were statistically significant differences in the survival curves between groups categorized using each of these cut-off values (p < .05 for all cases). Conclusion Our findings suggest that the assessment of not only objective indicators for the systemic inflammatory response but also patient-reported outcomes using EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL is beneficial for the prediction of short-term survival in terminally ill patients with cancer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chien-Yi Wu ◽  
Ping-Jen Chen ◽  
Tzu-Lin Ho ◽  
Wen-Yuan Lin ◽  
Shao-Yi Cheng

Abstract Background Artificial nutrition and hydration do not prolong survival or improve clinical symptoms of terminally ill cancer patients. Nonetheless, little is known about the effect of artificial hydration (AH) alone on patients’ survival, symptoms or quality of dying. This study explored the relationship between AH and survival, symptoms and quality of dying among terminally ill cancer patients. Methods A pilot prospective, observational study was conducted in the palliative care units of three tertiary hospitals in Taiwan between October 2016 and December 2017. A total of 100 patients were included and classified into the hydration and non-hydration group using 400 mL of fluid per day as the cut-off point. The quality of dying was measured by the Good Death Scale (GDS). Multivariate analyses using Cox’s proportional hazards model were used to assess the survival status of patients, the Wilcoxon rank-sum test for within-group analyses and the Mann-Whitney U test for between-groups analyses to evaluate changes in symptoms between day 0 and 7 in both groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the predictors of a good death. Results There were no differences in survival (p = 0.337) or symptom improvement between the hydration and non-hydration group, however, patients with AH had higher GDS scores. Conclusions AH did not prolong survival nor significantly improve dehydration symptoms of terminally ill cancer patients but it may influence the quality of dying. Communication with patients and their families on the effect of AH may help them better prepared for the end-of-life experience.


1989 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 501
Author(s):  
Carl Steenstrup ◽  
Jeffrey P. Mass

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