Medical obituaries and compulsive reading

Medical Royal Colleges publish obituaries to record and celebrate the lives of colleagues after their deaths. Who is included in this roll of honour, the preferred literary style, and the organisation of the commissioning and publishing all vary between colleges. Since obituaries have fashions, shaped by culture and practical considerations, it is worthwhile, from time to time, for institutions to review the approaches they take. This paper draws on practices past and present, including those of national newspapers and Royal Colleges, to stimulate further discussion on the subject.