Although the term thanatology was coined in 1912 the study of death and dying in childhood was out of fashion until the 1970s. The pendulum then swung, and there was a shift from avoidance of the issue to its becoming almost a fad. During the past 10 years successful research of previously fatal malignancies and more careful and complex studies of children's and parents reactions to serious illness have given us the opportunity to provide wiser care for these patients and their families.