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Defining Death in Theory and Practice
Author(s) -
BERNAT JAMES L.,
CULVER CHARLES M.,
GERT BERNARD
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
hastings center report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.515
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1552-146X
pISSN - 0093-0334
DOI - 10.2307/3560613
Subject(s) - psychology
In July 1981, the President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research published its first report, Defining Death: Medical. Legal, and Ethical /slues in the Determination of Death.' The Commission made this subject one of its first studies primarily because of a legal interest: there has been recent disagreement about how best to translate the current physiological understanding of death into acceptable statutory language. But the Commission was also interested in reviewing the dispute between "whole brains" and "higher brain" formulations of death and appraising currently used brain-based tests for death, which have become increasingly varied and sophisticated.