title: Science and society: death, unconsciousness and the brain.
abstract: The concept of death has evolved as technology has progressed. This has forced medicine and society to redefine its ancient cardiorespiratory centred diagnosis to a neurocentric diagnosis of death. The apparent consensus about the definition of death has not yet appeased all controversy. Ethical, moral and religious concerns continue to surface and include a prevailing malaise about possible expansions of the definition of death to encompass the vegetative state or about the feared bias of formulating criteria so as to facilitate organ transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Cyclotron Research Centre and Neurology Department, Université de Liège, Sart Tilman-B30, 4000 Liège, Belgium. steven.laureys@ulg.ac.be
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Laureys
mesh_terms: D026688:Bioethical Issues; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001926:Brain Death / Q000503:physiopathology; D003643:Death; D006801:Humans; D018458:Persistent Vegetative State / Q000503:physiopathology; D014474:Unconsciousness / Q000503:physiopathology*