Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal issues:How death was defined by scientist in past?

In the fatal automobile accident of Smith v/s Smith both husband and wife sustained injury. Husband died on the spot and the wife was taken to the hospital where she remained unconscious for 17 days and then died. The petitioner argued that the deaths were simultaneous, since there was no evidence of brain activity after accident. The Inference was that resuscitative efforts were maintaining the body in a state of animation although it could not be shown that life existed. The court did not accept the contention. They quoted Black’s definition of death and stated that "one breathing, though unconsciousness is not dead." The living body depends upon the integrity of three principal interdependent systems circulation, respiration and enervation. Failure of one of them will cause failure of the other two. This leads to the death of the individual. There are two phases of death: (i) Extinction of the personality is immediate sign of vital process: This is Somatic death. (ii) Progressive disintegration of the body tissue: This is molecular death or cellular death that occurs sometimes later.

Calne, in 1970, gave a more practical definition that states when destruction of the brain has been established, the individual has died no matter what the state of the rest of his body, giving four signs for such a diagnosis: (i) Deep, irreversible coma with fixed, dilated pupils and absent cranial nerve reflexes (ii) No spontaneous respiration (iii) absence of electrical brain activity (iv) Cessation of circulation in the retinal vessels.

Rantoul and Smith in 1973 defined death as complete and persistent cessation of respiration and circulation.

(Ref: Dr. PC Dikshit Head (MAMC) MD LLB, Textbook of forensic medicine, Peepe Publisher)