
Definitions of Types of Death
In a practical sense, however, the exact moment at which a person is “dead” is an argument over a very fine point indeed. The fact remains that humans do die. Death does eventually occur at some point. But there are many types of death, and it’s good to know some definitions.
Necrobiosis. Individual cells die all the time. The cells in your body today weren’t there years ago, except your nerve cells. Necrobiosis is the death of cells over the lifespan of an organism. After necrobiosis, a cell is replaced with a new one in a continual process throughout a human’s life.
Necrosis. When many cells die at once, it isn’t the normal continual necrobiosis of life. Necrosis is the death of an organ or part of an organ. In medicine this is called infarction (yes, that’s how it’s supposed to be spelled.)
Clinical Death. No breathing, no circulation, and no brain activity characterize clinical death. But that’s only half. The other side, the most integral part which separates clinical death from somatic death, is that clinical death begins at the very onset of the symptoms of death, say right after cardiac arrest has cause the heart to stop. It lasts for about four minutes, and it is the interval in which life can be brought back through CPR. After a short few minutes, death is permanent, because the state of the body has gone from clinical death to…
Brain Death. A brain deprived of oxygen survives for 3 to 7 minutes, making it the first organ to die when circulation or respiration ceases or is impeded, whatever the cause of trouble may be. After a few minutes, the brain can’t be brought back to life by any means available today. This is brain death, and it’s the reason why clinical death, the period in which a person can be resuscitated, is so short. Once the brain goes, the heart doesn’t know how to pump and the lungs don’t know how to breath.
Somatic death. Eventually an organism ceases to be in the process of dying and proceeds to be dead. Somatic death is the death— the permanent, irreversible death— of an organism as a whole. In humans it is usually after brain death, as the other vital organs are unable to function without the brain. With modern technology, though, one can be brain dead but still have circulation and respiration artificially. In such a case one isn’t somatically dead because other organs are still alive. Once artificial support is removed somatic death occurs, because the person is then entirely and completely inactive with regard to brain, circulation, and respiration.
-
overtlysimplified reblogged this from forensicsandpathology and added:
breast mass undergoing fat necrosis...got me wondering.
-
thegrumpydetective reblogged this from forensicsandpathology
-
lautuma reblogged this from forensicsandpathology
-
killer4jeffy reblogged this from forensicsandpathology
-
sonic-hairdryer reblogged this from sillybobob
-
rideonshootingstar liked this
-
sillybobob reblogged this from savoycorpsereviver
-
remainrestrained liked this
-
obscurenomad liked this
-
obscurenomad reblogged this from savoycorpsereviver
-
clandestinechameleon liked this
-
verensisaret liked this
-
savoycorpsereviver reblogged this from sisnotsissy
-
fierceandraw liked this
-
invertediris liked this
-
sisnotsissy reblogged this from forensicsandpathology
-
samuschan reblogged this from inebriatedpony
-
somethingspecial08 liked this
-
helloremo liked this
-
velmavonfox reblogged this from forensicsandpathology
-
juliblabla reblogged this from forensicsandpathology
-
nicolascagedtheelephant reblogged this from singmetothelake
-
sparkling-stardust reblogged this from dark-ephemera
-
whatsalifeihaveablog reblogged this from dark-ephemera
-
fratellolupo liked this
-
dark-ephemera reblogged this from emwolfilie
-
missuscupcake liked this
-
overflowingsilence reblogged this from n-e-o-n-b-i-b-l-e
-
abbywtpho liked this
-
braininnards reblogged this from forensicsandpathology
-
adcranium reblogged this from cruising-to-disaster
-
theaverageplace liked this
-
runtilyoubleed liked this
-
aeromachia liked this
-
m-azing liked this
-
im-a-stranger-on-earth liked this
-
superbivoid liked this
-
winbaftasfuckbitches liked this
-
mewhoelse liked this
-
alphabuttt liked this
-
singmetothelake reblogged this from logicianmagician
-
lyricalblueswing reblogged this from midgetmonkey
-
overcomeinsanity reblogged this from midgetmonkey
-
majestrate liked this
-
midgetmonkey reblogged this from forensicsandpathology
-
xolani reblogged this from forensicsandpathology
-
sanctimonioushermetic reblogged this from forensicsandpathology
-
apocalypse666me liked this
-
nadienadanunca liked this
-
nadienadanunca reblogged this from forensicsandpathology
- Show more notes


