Timor Mortis

‘A wide-ranging study of the many dimensions of death, and how our understanding of it has changed over time’ – Nigel Andrew * Literary Review *
’[A] candid, thoughtful love letter on how we live and die … what makes it shine is its interdisciplanry approach and the author’s candour … He draws on medical, historical and psychological perspectives, and weaves in his clinical and personal experiences, giving a rich and expansive view, imbued with a welcome intellectual and psychological humility … timely and thought-provoking reading’ * The Irish Times *
‘Scrutinises death from every angle, from epidemics and executions to grief and oblivion. Fascinating’ * The Times *
‘Coker has mined philosophy, literature, poetry, film and science in this comprehensive exploration of how we can live with our uniquely human burden – the burden of the certain knowledge of our mortality and the likely decline of our ageing bodies. These ideas are interspersed with recollections of his patients, their deaths, their suffering and their courage. It’s all there. The bleak and the funny, the rational and the irrational. It doesn’t solve the fundamental questions of life, but it gives the reader a solid foundation of evidence on which to try and make sense of one of the biggest questions we all, individually and collectively, have to face’ – David Jarrett, author of 33 Mediations on Death
‘It may sound a bit gloomy but Timor Mortis (literally ‘fear of death’) could hardly be more timely as we worry about the quality of end-of-life care for everyone we care about. Coker probes death’s complexities from different perspectives: biological, psychological, moral and historical’ * New Scientist, A Best New Popular Science Book, July 2026 *
‘Coker dissects death and our fear of it with a scholarly scalpel drawing from a range of disciplines. This book is a must read for anyone interested in the subject of death and the assisted dying debate today’ – Baroness Anne Marie Rafferty * Former president of the Royal College of Nursing *
‘Timor Mortis evaluates our final bodily transaction. Public health doctor Coker blends humour and profound wisdom in this rambunctious book. Grief, ageism, end-of-life decision, disease, shame, the sheer cost of corpse disposal – this could easily have been a depressing read, but is instead strangely life-affirming’ An Independent Book of the Month * Independent *
‘As medical students we are taught how to prevent, or at least delay death. Yet the complexities of that death – what it means for the patient, their loved ones, their clinicians – are hardly touched upon. Timor Mortis fills that gap. As someone about to embark on a career during which I will, no doubt, encounter much death, this book has given me the opportunity to reflect on what that truly means.’ – Amaan Ullah, final year medical student, King’s College London
‘A thoughtful, brilliantly researched and, at times, surprisingly funny look at the final moment that comes to us all, but which we find so hard to think and talk about. It’s one of those books so packed full of great quotes and fascinating facts, that you constantly want to turn to the person next to you and say, “Did you know…”. I enjoyed it immensely and was left feeling both enlightened and somehow reassured in equal measure’ – Dominic Hughes, BBC Health Correspondent
‘Timor Mortis is a timely reflection on what it means to live in the shadow of our own death in the 21st century. By blending his own experiences with current social commentary, Coker examines how our relationship with death has been outsourced to institutions and shaped by the systems designed to manage it. He then investigates how knowledge of our own death shapes our lives, and in the final chapters challenges us to take back control. It is a candid, necessary investigation into the ethics of ageing and the machinery of dying in the 21st century’ – David Heymann, senior fellow * Global Health Programme, Chatham House *

Richard Coker

Richard Coker is an emeritus professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Publications

• From Chaos to Coercion: Detention and the Control of Tuberculosis (St Martin’s Press, 2000)
• Multiple chapters in edited books
• Around 300 research papers
• Invited writing in The Guardian

Professional Experience

A doctor, Coker worked with HIV/AIDS patients in the early years of the pandemic as a consultant at St Mary’s Hospital, London. He also worked on tuberculosis and HIV control in London and New York City. He later led research on tuberculosis, HIV, and other communicable diseases in the former Soviet Union for seven years and Southeast Asia for twenty years.

Media Appearances and Features

Coker has been interviewed by BBC News, CNN, BBC World Service, BBC’s Today, Capital Radio, Dispatches, GLR, Newsroom South East, BBC’s Horizon, and Channel 4 News. His work has been featured in over seventy international publications, including Le Figaro, The Straits Times, The Guardian, The Independent, and New Scientist.

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