Definition of Death

Stuart J. Youngner, M.D., is the Susan E. Watson Professor of Bioethics and chairman of the Department of Bioethics at Case Western Reserve University. Robert M. Arnold, M.D., is a professor of medicine, the director of the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, and the Dr. Leo H. Criep Chair in Patient Care 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.

A multitude of closely reasoned, well-written essays... required reading. Journal of the American Medical Association This is an excellent book... An engaging and fascinating collection of short articles. British Medical Journal The authors recognize in their analyses that the definition of death is as much a social or value construct as a scientific one. Ethics, Law, and Aging Review This book is an excellent compilation of articles stating the present position in relation to brain death and clearly demonstrates the ethical dilemmas surrounding the concept of death and its determination in practice. It can be wholeheartedly recommended to those interested in brain death from almost any perspective. Journal of Medical Ethics

• AcknowledgmentsIntroductionList of ContributorsPart I: The Historical and Clinical FrameworkChapter 1. Brain Death in a Cultural Context: The Reconstruction of Death, 1967–1981Chapter 2. Clinical Standards and Technological Confirmatory Tests in Diagnosing Brain DeathPart 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 DeathChapter 5. Of the Brainstem Criterion of DeathChapter 6. The Persisting Perplexities in the Determination of DeathPart III: Revisiting Statues on Brain DeathChapter 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 DeathPart IV: Public Attitudes About Brain Death in the United States Chapter 10. American Attitudes and Beliefs About Brain Death: The Empirical LiteratureChapter 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 DenmarkChapter 14. The Problem of Brain Death: Japanese Disputes About Bodies and ModernityChapter 15. Defining Death in Germany: Brain Death and Its Discontents Part VI: Public Policy ConsiderationsChapter 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 DeathChapter 18. Death in a Technological and Pluralistic CultureChapter 19. Redefining Death: The Mirage of Consensus Chapter 20. Where Do We Go From Here? Index