Complexity of defining death: organismal death does not mean the cessation of all biological life

Journal of Medical Ethics 43 (11):754-755 (2017)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Michael Nair-Collins and Franklin Miller are right to emphasise that, in order to deliberate responsibly about ethical and legal questions related to brain death and organ donation, it is crucial to answer the question of whether or not ‘brain death’i does indeed mark the biological death of the organism. Nonetheless, I disagree with the authors’ conclusion that brain death does not indicate the death of the human organism. Death can never be defined in merely biological terms, because any biological conception of death relies on metaphysical presuppositions regarding what it means to be an ‘organism as a whole’, rather than an aggregate of cells and tissues. Death is a change in substance —that is, a change from one type of entity to another — not the cessation of all biological life. Organismal death occurs well before all of the organism’s parts irreversibly cease vital activity and decompose into inorganic matter. Biological life in some form can and usually does continue after organismal death at least for a time, with recent evidence indicating that animal cell networks continue to perform complex functions like stress response, immune response and inflammation response up to several days postmortem.1 With external support, many cells and tissues can continue to perform their functions ex vivo for long periods of time or even indefinitely.2 Henrietta Lax died in 1951, but cells derived from her cancerous cervical cells …

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,593

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

The biophilosophical basis of whole-brain death.James L. Bernat - 2002 - Soc Philos Policy 19 (2):324-42.
The Biophilosophical Basis Of Whole-brain Death.James Bernat - 2002 - Social Philosophy and Policy 19 (2):324-342.
Re-examining death: against a higher brain criterion.Josie Fisher - 1999 - Journal of Medical Ethics 25 (6):473-476.
Current debate on the ethical issues of brain death.Masahiro Morioka - 2004 - Proceedings of International Congress on Ethical Issues in Brain Death and Organ Transplantation:57-59.
Death and philosophy.Jeff Malpas & Robert C. Solomon (eds.) - 1998 - New York: Routledge.
The Whole-Brain Concept of Death Remains Optimum Public Policy.James L. Bernat - 2006 - Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 34 (1):35-43.

Analytics

Added to PP
2017-10-25

Downloads
24 (#563,024)

6 months
4 (#319,344)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Melissa Moschella
Catholic University of America