This paper reviews the literature on the behavior and attitudes of medical-nursing personnel toward the dying person and illustrates the frequent conflict between hospital staff and the needs of dying. Inner perturbation stemming from feelings of vicarious suffering, vicarious disintegration, or personal anxiety about death, education deficiencies in medical and nursing institutions, and the lack of a verbal response repertoire from which to draw when interacting with the dying all contribute to making the dying person an aversive stimulus. A comprehensive programme of death education in the general hospital is presented as an alternative to the current "death ward" or "palliative care unit" concept. A number of research and applied issues relating to dying today are also discussed. (Author)