Mercy St. Charles Hospital

We draw attention to differences and difficulties in language and in concepts between “brain death” and true death that was published 24 years ago.1 We also focus on failure to utilize the scientific method, sound reasoning, and available medical technology in the determination of one of the two most important states known to man: death. The other condition, life,is obviously related because of the interdependence of the two conditions. Life and true death cannot and do not exist at the same time in the same person.