Death Be Not Proud

Death Be Not Proud is a memoir by journalist and author John Gunther, published in 1949. The title comes from the poem “Holy Sonnet 10” by John Donne, which begins “Death be not proud, though some have called thee / Mighty and dreadful, for, thou art not so.”

Gunther begins the book with a foreword offering background about his son, Johnny, who died at the age of seventeen after a fifteen-month struggle against brain cancer. Gunther traces his early years, which were happy but not the focus of his book. Gunther describes his son in glowing terms—bright, witty, and handsome, with blond hair and blue eyes, thin, and considerate. Gunther notes that his son excelled at many intellectual pursuits and would have started at Harvard had he lived.

Johnny returns from school for spring break, apparently in fine health. He is examined by the family doctor, Dr. Traeger, for his annual physical. Traeger finds nothing wrong, although Johnny complains of a stiff neck. Johnny returns to school, where his symptoms worsen, and the doctors there conclude that he is suffering from a brain tumor. The school brings in a specialist, Dr. Tracy Putnam. The Gunthers drive to Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. Gunther describes seeing the faces of the doctors and knowing immediately that the tumor is terminal.



Johnny is sent to New York City’s Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital. He retains his humor and cheer throughout the ordeal, even when undergoing a painful spinal tap. The doctors at the hospital operate, spending six hours in surgery and discovering a tumor the size of an orange in his brain. They are only partially successful, removing half the tumor.

Though Johnny seemingly makes a quick recovery from the operation, he faints a few weeks later. Returning to the hospital, Gunther is told that Johnny’s tumor is getting much worse, now threatening to make Johnny blind and paralyzed before almost certainly killing him.

Johnny is discharged but remains in New York for some time to be monitored, finally returning home to Connecticut. He keeps himself busy with scientific work in the family garage. His condition worsens, affecting his vision and causing a protrusion on his head to become infected and leak pus. The Gunthers read about an experimental treatment involving the injection of mustard gas, normally a terrible poison, and arrange to take Johnny to Memorial Hospital in New York for the treatment. Although the side effects of the treatment are terrible, it initially seems to improve his condition. Johnny feels good enough to return to his schoolwork, trying to catch up with the faint hope that he might attend Harvard after all.



Johnny’s condition takes a turn for the worse, and the Gunthers decide to try another experimental treatment, a special diet developed by Dr. Max Gerson, who runs a nursing home for such patients. They take Johnny to Gerson and put him on the diet, which involves plenty of rest, enemas, and a diet without salt or fat. Johnny feels better, so dramatically so, that Gunther begins to think he will recover. However, Johnny develops more bumps on his head and is told he cannot return to school. Still optimistic, Johnny works with tutors to keep up with his schoolwork. He needs more surgeries to drain fluid from his skull, and the doctors tell Gunther they are amazed Johnny is still alive. The Gunthers agonize over putting Johnny through more trauma, electing to keep him on the Gerson diet while sending him in for an emergency surgery to drain the fluid. The surgery is successful—and the fluid is analyzed as sterile, indicating that the tumor has disappeared. Everyone is overjoyed, believing this means Johnny will make a full recovery.

Johnny returns home, but his condition worsens and a new bump appears on his head. Gunther takes Johnny back to the hospital and is told that the tumor is not only not gone, it is much worse, taking on a form that is impossible to treat. Johnny must undergo a radical surgery in an attempt to remove the tumor. Realizing it is not working, they take Johnny off the Gerson diet and schedule the surgery. The doctors remove a huge amount of tumor, but cannot get all of it.

Johnny, awarded a diploma because of his extra work, manages to walk at his graduation. His condition worsens, and he grows very weak. Traeger diagnoses a brain hemorrhage, and Johnny dies at the hospital in his sleep.



Gunther relates Johnny’s obvious intelligence, offering letters and diary entries that Johnny left behind. Johnny’s mother, Frances, narrates the final chapter of the book, ruminating on the nature of life and death and urging parents to appreciate their children while they are still alive.