Does the death of the body constitute death of the person?

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09/05/2007                0232748

Course: Sociology 2h

Examination no: 3274833

Matriculation no: 0232748

Word count: 2435

DOES THE DEATH OF THE BODY CONSTITUTE THE DEATH OF THE PERSON?

Does the death of the body constitute death of the person?

Introduction

Death of the body and death of the person hold different meanings according to physicians, theologists, transplant surgeons and the public. Since the eighteenth century, biological death has focused on either the centralist or decentralist theory, which have shifted from the cessation of the heart to define death, to a more overall view of the body. Firstly, it is important to outline the historical and contemporary definitions of death, including a consideration of the recent term ‘brain-stemmed death’ (BSD) in relation to fears of confounding factors (Powner et al, 1996: 1219).

When the body dies medically, all links with a former life are eradicated and the focus  rapidly shifts to the next patient or donor recipient. However, for friends and relatives the deceased was a person with an identity, a past which will not be forgotten and this causes many to grieve and the person’s social presence continues in their daily lives. The idea of a social death in relation to an actual death will be examined using examples of past and present rituals and beliefs such as, vampires and persistent vegetative state. Additionally, a brief consideration of the cultural differences between Japan and USA is necessary to question the passive acceptance of organ procurement and BSD in most of the developed world.

History

Prior to the 18th century, physicians in USA and Europe were not involved in precisely defining death because it was viewed as a natural process. Doctors would visit a dying patient and if they concluded that nothing could reverse the illness, relatives or undertakers would confirm the end of life. However, the Victorian era witnessed a change of attitudes and social divisions, whereby fear of burial alive and expectations of a longer life by the middle classes emerged (Powner et al, 1996: 1220). This led to greater physician involvement and their role was to help preserve life and confirm death when necessary. Since the 18th century, “two fundamental questions persist within the current cycles of debate”, including centralist and decentralist theories, and the problem of apparent death or confoundling factors (Powner et al, 1996: 1219).

Centralism is concerned with the body as a whole, which means that one organ, previously the heart, is the centre of all bodily functions and once it stops death is certified. This theory is linked to the contemporary term of brain stemmed death that is socially considered the centre of personhood which represents life, and once dead can often continue to exist in society. Decentralists consider the body as perhaps a more complex system and the whole organism represents life, therefore, all main organs need to cease functioning before burial and grieving can proceed. Throughout the 19th and 20th century, definitions of death have altered between a centralist and decentralist approach, but overall, neither has caused major debate, nor are they exceptionally diverse in context. More importantly, this reflects not only the ambiguous nature of death and unclear life/death boundaries, but the relatively passive acceptance “that consciousness is what makes an individual recognisably alive and fully a person” (Lock, 2002: 45).

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Ambivalence

A false positive diagnosis of death further conveys the suggestion by Lock (2002), that the American and European public have been surprisingly trustworthy of the medical profession. Defining death is a complex process, especially when it is impossible to exclude moral, philosophical and religious attitudes towards life and death, regardless of scientific objectivity. However, in 1968 the Harvard Committee proposed a universal term, including a set of tests, to confirm the end of life and avoid confusion since resuscitation techniques became available for the heart and lungs (Powner et al, 1996: 1221). Brain stemmed death means that ...

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