Near-Death Experiences

DURING the last two decades, articles and books about death and dying have proliferated, but, with rare exceptions, their authors ignore completely the question of whether man survives after death. One of us (I.S.) recently has reviewed the evidence that suggests man's survival after death.1The evidence available is far from necessitating a conclusion in favor of such survival, but it is also far from deserving the neglect it has received from most scientists. One type of research that may contribute to this evidence is the investigation of neardeath experiences—reports of persons who come close to death but escape. Such experiences include those of persons who are seriously injured or ill and are expected to die or are thought to be dead, but who unexpectedly recover. Also relevant are the experiences of persons who anticipate death during a potentially fatal situation, such as a fall from a great height,