Book Review: Death Before Dying: History, Medicine, and Brain Death

Brain death or brain dying?

For the past 50 years, the medical profession has understood ‘‘brain death’’ to represent the endpoint of a neuropathologic vicious cycle. An initial major brain injury sets off a mutually exacerbating cascade of cerebral edema, increased intracranial pressure, and decreased cerebral blood flow, which advances beyond some point-of-no-return to a state of no cerebral blood flow and total brain i...

[Book review by discussion: "On Death and Dying" and "Questions and Answers on Death and Dying" by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross].

I On the Fear of Death .................. II Attitudes Toward Death and Dying .................. III First Stage: Denial and Isolation .................. IV Second Stage: Anger .................. V Third Stage: Bargaining .................. VI Fourth Stage: Depression .................. VII Fifth Stage: Acceptance .................. VIII Hope .................. IX The Patient's Family ............

Near death experiences (NDEs): The dying brain

There is a growing perception that the existence of near-death experiences (NDEs) poses a serious challenge to current scientific understandings of the brain, mind and consciousness (Braude, 2003; Fenwick & Fenwick, 1995; Parnia & Fenwick, 2002; Parnia, Spearpoint & Fenwick, 2007; Parnia, Waller, Yeates & Fenwick, 2001; Ring, 1980; Sabom, 1998, 1982). This was reaffirmed recently in a high-impa...

Death, Dying and near Death Experience

Psychology of deaths due to acute medical emergencies is under-researched. Most studies till now have concentrated on extended-death situations like malignancy. This open pilot study of twenty five patients examines the psychological state of patients during a life threatening acute medical illness (Group A, ten patients) and of those who survive such an experience (Group B, fifteen patients). ...

Doctors, death and dying.