To the YSM Community,
The death of Sherwin B. Nuland, M.D. ’55, earlier this month was a tremendous loss for the School of Medicine, where Dr. Nuland earned his M.D. degree, trained in surgery, and taught for five decades as a member of the clinical faculty. The school—the Medical Historical Library in particular—also played a major role in Dr. Nuland’s second career as an author. It was here that he began to write books, including the hugely influential How We Die: Reflections on Life’s Final Chapter, which became an instant bestseller and received the National Book Award in 1994.
The remembrance that follows was prepared by his colleagues and family. Please join me on behalf of the school in offering condolences and appreciation for his many lasting contributions to medicine.
Sincerely,
Dean Robert J. Alpern, M.D.
Ensign Professor of Medicine
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In Memoriam: Sherwin B. Nuland, M.D.
1930–2014
Sherwin Bernard Nuland, M.D., an alumnus and clinical professor at Yale School of Medicine, accomplished surgeon, and acclaimed author, died on March 3, 2014. He was 83.
Dr. Nuland was the author of a dozen books, including How We Die: Reflections on Life’s Final Chapter, which spent 34 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and won the National Book Award in 1994. His other books included Doctors: The Biography of Medicine, The Wisdom of the Body, and The Mysteries Within: A Surgeon Reflects on Medical Myths, as well as biographies of Leonardo da Vinci and Maimonides.
Born Shepsel Ber Nudelman on December 8, 1930, in the Bronx, N.Y., he was the son of Orthodox Jews who came to the United States from Russia. As a child he suffered the loss of his mother and of his maternal grandmother, with whom he shared a close bond. Dr. Nuland and his older brother changed their last name from Nudelman to Nuland, following the example of a cousin who practiced medicine and influenced Dr. Nuland to pursue the same career.
Dr. Nuland received his bachelor’s degree from New York University in 1951 and his M.D. degree from Yale in 1955. He trained at what was then Grace-New Haven Hospital, where he became chief surgical resident in 1958. He was a surgeon at Yale-New Haven Hospital from 1962 to 1992, when he retired to write full time, remaining on the volunteer faculty until 2009. He is remembered by friends for his ability as a storyteller and for his rich, sonorous voice. Dr. Nuland was active as a lecturer at Yale in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and as a mentor for the Yale Internal Medicine Residency Writers’ Workshop. He was a devoted alumnus who was active in his class, serving as reunion chair. He received the Distinguished Alumni Service Award from the Association of Yale Alumni in Medicine in 2005.
He chaired the Board of Managers of the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences and was a member of the editorial board of Perspectives in Biology and Medicine. He was a contributing editor to The American Scholar and The New Republic. He was a member of the Bioethics Committee of Yale-New Haven Hospital from its founding in 1986 until 2000. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he served as medical director for the Yale–China Association. Dr. Nuland was also a devoted supporter of the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library and the Medical Historical Library, serving as a member of its board of trustees and as its chair.
Dr. Nuland is survived by his wife, Sarah Peterson. Besides his wife, survivors include two children from his first marriage, Victoria and Andrew; two children from his second marriage, Amelia and William; and four grandchildren.