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27 Baylor L. Rev. 22 (1975)
Medical Death

handle is hein.journals/baylr27 and id is 54 raw text is: MEDICAL DEATH SHEFF D. OLINGER, M.D.* When does death occur from the medical or scientific viewpoint? The purpose of this article will be not only to define medical death, but to further show that such a medical definition of death is true, real, definable, and capable of understanding by the general public, as well as by medical and legal authorities. The concept and definition of death belongs to society, and one cannot believe that our professions have a claim to a definition or view of death that is separate from the public view, or one that is incapable of public understanding. Human death is a personal event, an event universally recognized as the end or cessation of life of a particular individual person or human being. There are certain proven facts relating to the act of dying which are not susceptible to argument. The physical body of a person is composed of various organs further subdivided into tissues, and further subdivided into cells. The life process of the individual is dependent on the concerted and interdependent living function of all these organs, and the health of the individual reflects the combined life of its separate parts. Any organ, or living tissue, that has ceased to function, and cannot regain function, is dead. Sufficient impairment of certain vital processes, such as respiration and circulation, will result in the cessation of living function of all the organs and the death of the individual. It is well known that when such an event occurs, as in total circulatory arrest, various organs may survive for different lengths of time, and may live indefinitely when transplanted to another individual or culture medium. Clearly, then, the physical death of the body organs is a continuous event which does not occur at a precise moment, but occurs over a period of time. This certainly does not occur simul- taneously with arrest of circulation. The personal, identifiable life of an individual human can be equated with the living function of that part of the brain called the cerebrum. Cerebral function is manifested in consciousness, awareness, memory, anticipation, recognition, and emotions. These phenomena are charac- teristic and peculiar to each individual life and cannot occur in the absence of the cerebrum, regardless of how well the other organ systems of the body may function. *Director, Department of Neurology, and Director, Stroke Unit and E.E.G. Department of the Baylor University Medical School in Dallas. With a speciality in medical neurology, has served as an instructor at the Southwestern Medical School since 1960. Has published several articles in his field, including Clinical Criteria in Selecting Stroke Patients for Vascular Surgery.

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