this remind me of the work of jeffrey silverthorne.
his were some of the most frightening, beautiful and moving photographs i have ever seen. he guest lectured at a class i took in 1986, and his images still haunt me to this day.
Yes, this is a very haunting picture. Great subject. What amazes me more is the reportage quality you got from such a big camera and lens combination. It ain't easy.
Having had a career in the medical field I am not shocked by the content, as a photographer I think having the courage to make this photograph is what life is all about. The way you cut the people out of the picture is a powerful statement. At a death bed the focus is on the deceased, sometimes you can't even recall the faces or people in the room afterwards. This is what I would invision in my mind for this kind of situation.