35. Why Brain Dead isn’t Dead: An Introduction to “Shewmon’s Challenge”

One of the most fundamental questions that a doctor may be asked to answer is the following: Is this man or is that woman dead? And one would think that any substantial controversy regarding the determination of death would feature prominently in the medical curriculum and in basic medical textbooks. Instead, such discussions and debates have been relegated to narrow specialty medical and philosophical journals, and most practicing physicians are remarkably unaware about the state of knowledge on this question.

Our guest on this episode is D. Alan Shewmon, MD, Professor Emeritus of Pediatric Neurology at UCLA. His work, comprising decades of well-documented clinical observations and reflections, is now known as “Shewmon’s challenge,” a compelling rebuke to the principal arguments put forth to defend the concept of brain death.

The Accad and Koka Report podcast, hosted by two MDs, focuses on free-market approaches to medicine and health. Subscribe on iTunes, Android, Stitcher, or via RSS.