PEDIATRICS Vol. 66 No. 4 October 1980, pp. 637-638
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Freeman, J. M.
Right arrow Articles by Rogers, M. C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Freeman, J. M.
Right arrow Articles by Rogers, M. C.

On Death, Dying, and Decisions

John M. Freeman MD1 and Mark C. Rogers MD2

1 Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics
2 Departments of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions Baltimore

Brain death is a concept of recent concern. Formerly, death was validated when the heart stopped beating. With modern technology, such as pacemakers, ventilators, and cardiopulmonary machines able to sustain the heart, physicians and the public have become concerned about prolonging existence after massive brain destruction. Out of this concern came the concept of "death with dignity" and the "right to die."

Since cardiac transplantation required a viable heart, and since the brain was found to be the key to "meaningful existence," a new definition of death was derived. That definition included "sufficient damage to the brain that it would not recover."