Includes bibliographical references (p. 225-228) and index.

ch. 1: Causes of death worldwide. -- In Africa, many die from AIDS / Annabel Kanabus, Jenni Fredriksson-Bass, and Graham Pembrey -- Scotland experiences a rise in drug-related deaths / Tanya Thompson -- Russia is facing a death crisis / Nicholas Eberstadt -- In Uganda, ritual killings are on the rise / New Vision -- In Ireland, suicides among youth are increasing / Kevin Malone -- ch. 2: End-of-life care. -- Worldwide, organizations view palliative care as a human right / Frank Brennan -- In Africa, the aged and dying need more palliative care / Richard A. Powell, ... [et al.] -- In Latin America, HIV/AIDS patients have minimal access to palliative care / Open Society Institute -- Italy is slow to adopt palliative care / Francesca Crippa Floriani -- In the United States, physician-assisted death is controversial / Nathanael Johnson -- In the United Kingdom, terminally ill patients leave the country in search of life-ending drugs / AP Online -- In the United Kingdom, end-of-life care provides for a home death / Melanie Henwood -- In Germany, television provides information about death and dying / Charles Hawley -- ch. 3: Death, dying, and religion. -- Religion influences attitudes toward death worldwide / Anna Orońska -- In the United States, many religious and cultural traditions influence death rituals / Sandra L. Lobar, JoAnne M. Youngblut, and Dorothy Brooten -- In Thailand, Buddhist beliefs about Karma affect end-of-life care / Kittikorn Nilmanat and Annette F. Street -- In India and around the world, Hindus have rituals for honoring the dead / Lavina Melwani -- In Mexico, a death cult thrives / Bess Twiston Davies -- In the Middle East, suicide bombings have a religious foundation / David Bukay -- ch. 4: Funeral practices throughout the world. -- In the United States, eco-burials are becoming popular / Valerie Streit -- In Uganda, burial societies help grieving families / Ben Jones -- Japanese funerals are based on tradition / Hiroko Nakata -- The United Kingdom must find new ways to dispose of the dead / John Naish.