Classic cases revisited: Baby Theresa and the definition of death

Abstract

As our medical knowledge grows the criteria for the diagnosis of death continue to evolve. The criteria tend to be pragmatic, and are designed to serve the needs of the society. They are however, only a set of tools and as such they fail to address the question of what death actually is. More importantly, a question remains as to what does death mean to us, human beings. The historical case of Baby Theresa challenges the way we think about death, life and organ transplantation.