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Biomedical subjects

D Alan Shewmon

Publications and source records attributed to D Alan Shewmon.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

The dead donor rule: lessons from linguistics?

American society traditionally has assumed a univocal notion of "death," largely because we have only one word for it and, until recently, have not needed a more nuanced notion. The reality of death-processes does not preclude the reality of death events. Linguistically, "death" can be understood only as an event; there are other words for the process. Our death vocabulary should expand to reflect multiple events along the process from sickness to decomposition. Depending on context, some death-related events may constitute a more obvious discontinuity than others and more justifiably may be considered "death" within that context. There is no reason to assume a priori that there must be an overarching, unitary concept of death from which all diagnostic criteria must derive. Regarding organ transplantation, the relevant question is not "Is the patient dead?" but rather "Can organs X, Y, Z ... be removed without causing or hastening death or harming the patient?"

Animals↗
PubMed2004

A critical analysis of conceptual domains of the vegetative state: sorting fact from fancy.

Neurophysiological research on the vegetative state (VS) presupposes a clearly defined patient population. VS has been variously defined in three domains: anatomy, behavior, and consciousness. Research on each conceptual type of "VS" is reviewed. Certain key elements of official VS dogma are cast into doubt or flatly contradicted by recent noninvasive neurophysiological studies. "Behavioral VS" is often the manifestation of a multi-modular disconnection syndrome rather than the complete absence of cortical functioning. Some "behavioral VS" may represent a "super locked-in state," with some primitive awareness of self and environment, including the capacity to experience pain. The term VS should be dropped and replaced with one that reflects what is truly known and verifiable about the condition and the individual patient.

Cerebral Cortex↗
PubMed1995

To the editor.

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Brain Death↗