| autopsy | A medical examination of a body after death to determine cause of death or investigate the nature of changes caused by disease.
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| brain death | Irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem.
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| cellular death | The death of cells and tissues of the body, which occurs as a progressive breakdown of metabolic processes, resulting in irreversible deterioration of the affected systems and organs of the body.
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| certification of death | A process involving the official registration of death and providing legal proof of death by certifying the pertinent data and facts regarding the deceased and the mode and place of death.
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| clinical death | Determined on the basis of either the cessation of heartbeat and breathing or the criteria for establishing brain death.
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| coma | A state of profound unconsciousness (may be reversible).
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| coroner | An individual, usually an elected official, whose job it is to conduct investigations into the cause and circumstances of suspicious or sudden deaths.
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| death certificate | A document that constitutes official registration and legal proof of death by certifying the facts of a death and recording pertinent data about the deceased.
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| death system | All the elements of a society--people, places, times, objects, and symbols--that have an impact on how people deal with dying and death and through which an individual's relationship to mortality is mediated by society.
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| definition of death | The conceptual understanding of what constitutes death, which seeks to answer the question "What is so essentially significant about life that its loss is termed death?"
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| determination of death | The process of using a set of criteria, tests, and procedures to assess whether an individual is living or dead according to an accepted definition of death.
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| donor card | A document used to specify the intent to donate organs or body parts after the donor's death.
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| forensic pathology | The application of medical knowledge to questions of law.
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| Harvard criteria for brain death | Standards published in 1968 by a Harvard Medical School Ad Hoc Committee to Examine the Definition of Brain Death. The criteria include: (1) lack of receptivity and response to external stimuli, (2) absence of spontaneous muscular movement and spontaneous breathing, (3) absence of observable reflexes, including brain and spinal reflexes, and (4) absence of brain activity, as signified by a flat electroencephalogram (EEG).
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| higher-brain theory | The idea that irreversible loss of the capacity for consciousness, rather than simply loss of the capacity for biological functioning, should be used in defining and determining death.
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| medical examiner | A qualified medical doctor, generally with advanced training and certification in forensic pathology, usually appointed to conduct investigations into the cause and circumstances of suspicious or sudden deaths.
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| mode of death | As contrasted with cause of death, four modes of death--natural, accidental, homicidal, suicidal--are commonly recognized on death certificates. Investigation of intentions and subconscious factors may be required to assign a particular death to one of these four categories.
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| National Organ Transplant Act | Enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1984, this Act instituted a central office to help match donated organs with potential recipients.
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| organ transplantation | The transfer of living organs, tissues, or cells from a donor to a recipient with the intention of maintaining the functional integrity of the transplanted tissue in the recipient.
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| persistent vegetative state (PVS) | A state wherein brain stem functions are intact and involuntary bodily functions such as spontaneous breathing are sustained, but there is severe mental impairment and no cognitive awareness of self or environment due to lack of higher brain functions.
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| postmortem | Occurring after death.
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| rigor mortis | Temporary rigidity of muscles that occurs following death.
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| Uniform Anatomical Gift Act | Legislation that sets forth provisions for the donation of the body or specific body parts upon the death of the donor.
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| Uniform Determination of Death Act | A statute designed to provide uniform laws throughout the United States for determining death by applying criteria for so-called brain death in cases where the irreversible absence of circulatory and respiratory functions is insufficient for making such a determination.
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| United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) | Operating under contract with the U.S. government, UNOS maintains lists of people waiting for transplants and tracks the status of donated organs to ensure fairness of distribution and competence of medical centers where transplants are performed.
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| vital signs | The conventional vital signs, or "signs of life," consist of pulse rate (heartbeat), respiratory rate (breathing), body temperature, and blood pressure. Pain is increasingly viewed as a "fifth vital sign" that should be monitored on a regular basis.
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| whole-brain theory | In contrast to "higher-brain theory," the idea that irreversible loss of the capacity for bodily integration and biological functioning, as set forth in the Harvard criteria for brain death, should be used in determining death.
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| xenotransplantation | The use of animals other than human beings as sources for organ transplants.
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