Abstract
After World War II, the way the dying were cared for in the United States underwent many changes. The hospitalization of the dying and the development of technology led to the depersonalization and often the prolongation of death. In the 1950s and 1960s, several individuals became concerned about what they labeled as "bad deaths." They came together to discuss their concerns and to begin to plan a new way to care for the dying. This historical review traces the changes in the care of the dying and identifies the forces and the individuals that led to the development of the hospice movement in the United States.