Controversies in the determination of death: perspectives from Switzerland
In 1968, an Ad Hoc committee at the Harvard Medical School advanced new criteria for determining death. It proposed that patients in irreversible coma with no discernible central nervous system activity were actually dead. The committee paved the way for the “whole brain” definition of death...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SMW supporting association (Trägerverein Swiss Medical Weekly SMW)
2012-08-01
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| Series: | Swiss Medical Weekly |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.smw.ch/index.php/smw/article/view/1557 |
| _version_ | 1811194144995934208 |
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| author | Settimio Monteverde Annette Rid |
| author_facet | Settimio Monteverde Annette Rid |
| author_sort | Settimio Monteverde |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
In 1968, an Ad Hoc committee at the Harvard Medical School advanced new criteria for determining death. It proposed that patients in irreversible coma with no discernible central nervous system activity were actually dead. The committee paved the way for the “whole brain” definition of death, which has reached broad public acceptance and legal enactment in many countries. Despite this, the philosophical and ethical debate about the “whole brain” definition of death is far from being closed. This paper analyses the ongoing controversy and evaluates the recent revision of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences guidelines for determining death.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T00:21:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3b54c1f074fb4b0bbe0c1c31d89ea9ca |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-3997 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T00:21:00Z |
| publishDate | 2012-08-01 |
| publisher | SMW supporting association (Trägerverein Swiss Medical Weekly SMW) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Swiss Medical Weekly |
| spelling | doaj.art-3b54c1f074fb4b0bbe0c1c31d89ea9ca2022-12-22T03:55:43ZengSMW supporting association (Trägerverein Swiss Medical Weekly SMW)Swiss Medical Weekly1424-39972012-08-01142333410.4414/smw.2012.13667Controversies in the determination of death: perspectives from SwitzerlandSettimio MonteverdeAnnette Rid In 1968, an Ad Hoc committee at the Harvard Medical School advanced new criteria for determining death. It proposed that patients in irreversible coma with no discernible central nervous system activity were actually dead. The committee paved the way for the “whole brain” definition of death, which has reached broad public acceptance and legal enactment in many countries. Despite this, the philosophical and ethical debate about the “whole brain” definition of death is far from being closed. This paper analyses the ongoing controversy and evaluates the recent revision of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences guidelines for determining death. https://www.smw.ch/index.php/smw/article/view/1557determination of deathend-of-lifemedical ethicsorgan transplantation |
| spellingShingle | Settimio Monteverde Annette Rid Controversies in the determination of death: perspectives from Switzerland Swiss Medical Weekly determination of death end-of-life medical ethics organ transplantation |
| title | Controversies in the determination of death: perspectives from Switzerland |
| title_full | Controversies in the determination of death: perspectives from Switzerland |
| title_fullStr | Controversies in the determination of death: perspectives from Switzerland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Controversies in the determination of death: perspectives from Switzerland |
| title_short | Controversies in the determination of death: perspectives from Switzerland |
| title_sort | controversies in the determination of death perspectives from switzerland |
| topic | determination of death end-of-life medical ethics organ transplantation |
| url | https://www.smw.ch/index.php/smw/article/view/1557 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT settimiomonteverde controversiesinthedeterminationofdeathperspectivesfromswitzerland AT annetterid controversiesinthedeterminationofdeathperspectivesfromswitzerland |