Last Illness Law and Legal Definition
Last illness is that last illness in extremis from which the patient never recovered, but died. [Holmes v. Krause, 123 N.E.2d 755 (Ohio P. Ct. 1954)].
The last illness within the meaning of a statute, giving preference to the expenses thereof, is the illness which terminated in the patient's death and the right to a preference is limited to services performed and expenses incurred during that illness, but unless the period is designated by statute, no particular period preceding death can be fixed as constituting the last illness, as the duration of such illness must vary considerably according to the nature of the disease and the condition of the patient. [LONG v. NORTHUP, 225 Iowa 132 (Iowa 1938)].
