<p>In the 1950s, about 50% of patients who died in a hospital in the U.S. received an autopsy. Today, that figure is in the single digits, which is a big loss according to two people who care a lot about this topic:&nbsp;</p><br><p>One is Dr. Alex Williamson, an forensic and pediatric pathologist who performs autopsies and talks to families of the deceased about what he learned in the process. The other is Sam Ashworth, a novelist who went looking for a storytelling device and found an obsession. This week, both men explain why autopsies are important and what they can teach us about living.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Sam Ashworth’s novel <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Death-Life-August-Sweeney/dp/1951631412" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠<em>The Death and Life of August Sweeny</em>⁠</a> is available now.&nbsp;</p><br><p>This episode was produced by Cameron Drews.</p><br><p>Get more <em>Death, Sex &amp; Money</em> with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of DSM and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the <em>Death, Sex &amp; Money</em> show page on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/death-sex-money/id870688022" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠Apple Podcasts⁠</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0yKEWqaqfaAKlSjYnDuisy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠Spotify⁠</a>. Or, visit <a href="https://slate.com/death-sex-money-plus?utm_medium=link&amp;utm_campaign=plus_pod&amp;utm_content=Death_Sex_Money&amp;utm_source=episode_summary" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠slate.com/dsmplus⁠</a> to get access wherever you listen.</p><p>If you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/deathsexmoney/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠Instagram⁠</a> and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is [email protected].</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>