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For a lot more on this topic than you ever wanted to know, I highly recommend Dick Teresi's "Brain Dead". It's a scary and fascinating look at the so-called "de
by forrestbrazeal 10y ago
For a lot more on this topic than you ever wanted to know, I highly recommend Dick Teresi's "Brain Dead". It's a scary and fascinating look at the so-called "death determination" industry that addresses one of our society's least-asked questions: in an era of unprecedented medical skill and technology, who draws the line between life and death, why do they draw it there, and how much are they getting paid?
https://www.amazon.com/Undead-Harvesting-Ice-Water-Beating-Heart-Cadavers-How/dp/1400096111 https://www.amazon.com/Undead-Harvesting-Ice-Water-Beating-H...
- DonaldFisk 10y agoAnother book of interest is Buried Alive by Jan Bondeson (https://www.amazon.com/Buried-Alive-Terrifying-History-Primal/dp/039332222X/ https://www.amazon.com/Buried-Alive-Terrifying-History-Prima...), which covers the steps that were taken to prevent premature interment, including the ways death was diagnosed.
- googletazer 10y agoJust the comments on amazon show how polarizing the contents are, but I'm really happy someone is asking questions. The stakes are as high as can be - for the potential donor and recipient. I really hope smart people are working on artificial organs or growing organs in pigs, instead of the focus being on devising tests when a person is really dead or not with the intention to harvest theirs.
- rwmj 10y ago"Stiff" by Mary Roach is also a good read on the many things that happen to dead bodies. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stiff-Curious-Lives-Human-Cadavers/dp/0141007451 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stiff-Curious-Lives-Human-Cadavers/...
- forrestbrazeal 10y agoEdit to the above: Somehow I cited the name of the book wrong. It is, of course, "The Undead", not "Brain Dead." And +1 to the Mary Roach book recommendation. You might need a strong stomach to get through that one, though - it's pretty grisly.