Determination of Death: A Scientific Perspective on Biological Integration.
Human life is operationally defined by the onset and cessation of organismal function. At postnatal stages of life, organismal integration critically and uniquely requires a functioning brain. In this article, a distinction is drawn between integrated and coordinated biologic activities. While commu...
| Publicado en: | Journal of Medicine & Philosophy Vol. 41; no. 3; pp. 257 - 279 |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
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Oxford University Press / USA
Jun2016
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=115352398&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 115352398 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 03605310 MPS jtl: Journal of Medicine & Philosophy issn: 03605310 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jun2016 vid: 41 iid: 3 pid: 622 pub: Oxford University Press / USA artinfo: ui: 115352398 10.1093/jmp/jhw004 ppf: 257 ppct: 22 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P size: 2MB tig: atl: Determination of Death: A Scientific Perspective on Biological Integration. aug: au: CONDIC, MAUREEN L. affil: University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA su: Proof & certification of death Brain death Persistent vegetative state Brain function localization Vital signs sug: subj: Proof & certification of death Brain death Persistent vegetative state Brain function localization Vital signs keyword: brain death capacity for rationality determination of death organismal function persistent vegetative state ab: Human life is operationally defined by the onset and cessation of organismal function. At postnatal stages of life, organismal integration critically and uniquely requires a functioning brain. In this article, a distinction is drawn between integrated and coordinated biologic activities. While communication between cells can provide a coordinated biologic response to specific signals, it does not support the integrated function that is characteristic of a living human being. Determining the loss of integrated function can be complicated by medical interventions (i.e., "life support") that uncouple elements of the natural biologic hierarchy underlying our intuitive understanding of death. Such medical interventions can allow living human beings who are no longer able to function in an integrated manner to be maintained in a living state. In contrast, medical intervention can also allow the cells and tissues of an individual who has died to be maintained in a living state. To distinguish between a living human being and living human cells, two criteria are proposed: either the persistence of any form of brain function or the persistence of autonomous integration of vital functions. Either of these criteria is sufficient to determine a human being is alive. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Journal Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: © 2019 Journal of Medicine and Philosophy Inc.. item: Journal of Medicine & Philosophy holder: Oxford University Press / USA dt: @attributes: year: 2016 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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