The Definition of Death
Contemporary Controversies
Published on 7. May 1999
Book
Hardback
368 pages
978-0-8018-5985-4 (ISBN)
Description
Our changing moral and legal attitudes towards end-of-life decisions and an increasing recognition of cultural diversity (many Orthodox Jews, for example, do not accept loss of brain function as a valid measure of death) have also challenged the apparent social concensus about death. This text offers a comprehensive review of the clinical, philosophical and public policy implications of our effort to redefine the change in status from living person to corpse. The book is the result of a collaboration among internationally recognized scholars from the fields of medicine, philosophy, social science, law and religious studies. Throughout, the contributors struggle to reconcile inconsistencies and gaps in our traditional understanding of death and to respond to the public's concern that, in the determination of death under current policies, patients' interests may be compromised by the demand for organ retrieval.
Reviews / Votes
"The editors of this important volume are to be congratulated for bringing together such an authoritative group of eminent scholars to discuss and debate every aspect of one of the most challenging medical, philosophical, legal, and religious problems of our time. Together, they have produced an immensely valuable book that will be quoted for years to come, wherever this debate rages--which is everywhere."--Sherwin B. Nuland, M.D., Yale University School of Medicine, author of 'How We Die: Reflections on Life's Final Chapter ' "This book is 'the' definitive volume on the definition of death and its implications for clinical medicine and public policy. The editors have assembled an impressive roster of physicians, ethicists, lawyers, and historians who contribute new insights to the ongoing controversy. This engaging volume will interest readers concerned with both the philosophical and the practical aspects of the definition of death."--Ruth Macklin, Ph.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine "Dealing candidly and thoughtfully with a wide range of concerns--scientific and clinical, philosophical and religious, social and cultural--the contributors to this volume wrestle with the unsettling lack of consensus that continues to exist in our society about the definition, determination, and meaning of death. Their discourse and debate are courageous, discomfiting, and illuminating."--Renie C. Fox, Ph.D., University of PennsylvaniaMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore, MD
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
680 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8018-5985-4 (9780801859854)
DOI
10.56021/9780801870231
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Stuart J. Youngner | Robert M. Arnold | Renie Schapiro
The Definition of Death
Contemporary Controversies
Book
12/2002
Johns Hopkins University Press
€40.90
Article not available for order
Persons
Stuart J. Youngner, M.D., is a professor of medicine, psychiatry, and biomedical ethics at Case Western Reserve University and director of the Clinical Ethics Program at the University Hospitals of Cleveland, Ohio. Robert M. Arnold, M.D., is an associate professor of general internal medicine, head of the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, and director of the Clinical Ethics Training Program at the University of Pittsburgh. Renie Schapiro, M.P.H., is a consultant to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and a freelance writer and editor in Madison, Wisconsin.
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction
List of Contributors
Part I: The Historical and Clinical Framework
Chapter 1. Brain Death in a Cultural Context: The Reconstruction of Death, 1967-1981
Chapter 2. Clinical Standards and Technological Confirmatory Tests in Diagnosing Brain Death
Part II: The Interface Between Philosophy and the Clinic
Chapter 3. How Much of the Brain Must Be Dead?
Chapter 4. Refinements in the Definition and Criterion of Death
Chapter 5. Of the Brainstem Criterion of Death
Chapter 6. The Persisting Perplexities in the Determination of Death
Part III: Revisiting Statues on Brain Death
Chapter 7. The Bifurcated Legal Standard for Determining Death: Does It Work?
Chapter 8. The Conscience Clause: How Much Individual Choice in Defining Death Can Our Society Tolerate?
Chapter 9. The Unimportance of Death
Part IV: Public Attitudes About Brain Death in the United States
Chapter 10. American Attitudes and Beliefs About Brain Death: The Empirical Literature
Chapter 11. Fundamentals of Life and Death: Christian Fundamentalism and Medical Science
Chapter 12. The Definition of Death in Jewish Law
Part V: International Perspectives
Chapter 13. Brain Death, Ethics, and Politics in Denmark
Chapter 14. The Problem of Brain Death: Japanese Disputes About Bodies and Modernity
Chapter 15. Defining Death in Germany: Brain Death and Its Discontents
Part VI: Public Policy Considerations
Chapter 16. Dusk, Dawn, and Defining Death: Legal Classifications and Biological Categories
Chapter 17. The Role of the Public in Public Policy on the Definition of Death
Part VII: The Future of Death
Chapter 18. Death in a Technological and Pluralistic Culture
Chapter 19. Redefining Death: The Mirage of Consensus
Chapter 20. Where Do We Go From Here?
Index
Introduction
List of Contributors
Part I: The Historical and Clinical Framework
Chapter 1. Brain Death in a Cultural Context: The Reconstruction of Death, 1967-1981
Chapter 2. Clinical Standards and Technological Confirmatory Tests in Diagnosing Brain Death
Part II: The Interface Between Philosophy and the Clinic
Chapter 3. How Much of the Brain Must Be Dead?
Chapter 4. Refinements in the Definition and Criterion of Death
Chapter 5. Of the Brainstem Criterion of Death
Chapter 6. The Persisting Perplexities in the Determination of Death
Part III: Revisiting Statues on Brain Death
Chapter 7. The Bifurcated Legal Standard for Determining Death: Does It Work?
Chapter 8. The Conscience Clause: How Much Individual Choice in Defining Death Can Our Society Tolerate?
Chapter 9. The Unimportance of Death
Part IV: Public Attitudes About Brain Death in the United States
Chapter 10. American Attitudes and Beliefs About Brain Death: The Empirical Literature
Chapter 11. Fundamentals of Life and Death: Christian Fundamentalism and Medical Science
Chapter 12. The Definition of Death in Jewish Law
Part V: International Perspectives
Chapter 13. Brain Death, Ethics, and Politics in Denmark
Chapter 14. The Problem of Brain Death: Japanese Disputes About Bodies and Modernity
Chapter 15. Defining Death in Germany: Brain Death and Its Discontents
Part VI: Public Policy Considerations
Chapter 16. Dusk, Dawn, and Defining Death: Legal Classifications and Biological Categories
Chapter 17. The Role of the Public in Public Policy on the Definition of Death
Part VII: The Future of Death
Chapter 18. Death in a Technological and Pluralistic Culture
Chapter 19. Redefining Death: The Mirage of Consensus
Chapter 20. Where Do We Go From Here?
Index