0603 - Social and cultural construction of death - AHF

Question 1

What is the current definition of death according to Australian law?

Answer 1

Either irreversible cessation of circulation of blood in the body of the person (i.e. cardiac death), or irreversible cessation of all function of the brain of the person (i.e. brain death).

Question 2

Outline the historical approach to death (the rituals).

Answer 2

• call out person’s name 3 times, to ensure they are dead
• cleaning of the body
• exhibition of the body
• lamenting
• delayed burial (people were terrified of being buried alive)

Question 3

How is the historical approach to death different to the current definition?

Answer 3

Prior to the 19th Century, you were not completely dead until you were decayed (well after heart had stopped beating).

Now, death is not simply located in putrification, death may be considered to have occurred when the brain is dead, but the heart is still beating.

Question 4

Why has death moved from the heart to the brain?

Answer 4

1. Location of selfhood: historically, the beating of the heart was important (Hippocratic Corpus: Man’s intelligence, the principle which rules over the rest of the soul, is situated in the left chamber of the heart); more recently, who an individual is, is not located in their heart, but in their capacity to think (Descarte: I think, therefore I am)
2. Ability of technology to prolong life
3. Reframing of dead body as useful for life for others: e.g. transplant surgery (to be a transplant donor, patient must be brain dead, not cardiac dead)

Question 5

How is brain death be verified?

Answer 5

By two different physicians, independently:

1. No evidence of brain function over a period of time
2. Loss of function not attributable to something else
3. Brain injury sufficient to account for loss of function
4. No reflex actions (cough, gag, pupil)
5. No attempt to breathe off respirator
6. Repeat after 24 hours

Question 6

Why may the attitudes towards death vary between location?

Answer 6

E.g. Japan vs USA

Japan: believe in nature taking its course, death a social event, view spirit and physical body as one, exchange is the important concept in gift giving

USA: believe in controlling nature as much as possible, death an individual event, view spirit and body as separate entities, giving is the important concept in gift giving