The problem of brain death: philosophical and socio-cultural context
Abstract The author examines the history of the brain death issue in Russian medicine. The process of legitimization of new death concept in Russia was delayed for more than 30 years. At the end of 2014 Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation approved a new «Procedure for the diagnosis of brain death» (including children over 1 year). The author analyzes the philosophical (ontological, epistemological, ethical) aspects of the brain death problem. The clinical condition of brain death gets treatment as the new idea, new meaning of the human being dying. The premise of reliability of the brain death diagnosis is the interdisciplinary consensus of medical consultation. The legitimization of the new death concept depends on unconditional adherence of doctors to professional standards.
Keywords:death, brain death, biological death, philosophy, bioethics, legitimization, definition of death, diagnosis, scientific truth, legal status of human death, transplantology, medical consultation, professional standards
Clin. Experiment. Surg. Petrovsky J. 2015. № 3. Р. 45–50.
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