Essay on Death and DyingDeath has been a part of life from the beginning. It's one of the most certain things in life. The way death is approached and the way cultures treat the dead has changed over the centuries. This change in death management practices includes, but is not limited to, how death is defined, infant mortality, life expectancy, children's understanding of death, where children die people, the deathbed scene, the cause of death, different things that happen after death and the role the media played. The way death is defined has evolved over the centuries. In the past, death was “determined by the absence of heartbeat and breathing”. Today, death is more difficult to define due to the increase in technology. To explore the theme of death and dying, this essay examines the evolution of human attitudes towards death throughout history. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay An individual could have brain death, clinical death, or cell death. Brain death occurs when functions performed by the brainstem cease, but the heartbeat and other functions remain. Four main criteria must be met to determine whether brain death has occurred. There must be a “lack of receptivity and response to external stimuli, absence of spontaneous muscle movement and spontaneous breathing, absence of observable reflexes, including cerebral and spinal reflexes, and absence of brain activity, as indicated by a flat electroencephalogram.” If this criterion is met and there is no heartbeat, clinical death has occurred. Cell death occurs when breathing, brain activity and heartbeat stop. Nowadays, there are several ways to define death; however, there are two things that everyone will have in common and that is that once death has occurred it is irreversible. Thanks to the development of technology and medicine, the average life expectancy in the United States has increased from 47 to 78 years. Before modern medicine, it was common for women to die during childbirth and for babies to be stillborn. Both factors affected how children experienced death. Before and during the early 1900s, children were familiar with death at the hands of a parent or sibling. In the 21st century, children may be familiar with death for the same or different reasons. However, the average (healthy) child in America is expected to live for seven or eight decades. The main cause of death has changed from acute infections to chronic diseases. This is called the epidemiological transition or redistribution of death from young to old, and the study of health and disease through patterns is epidemiology. Death is one of the most certain things in life, but it is not clear where a person will die. In the Middle Ages the ceremony in which someone died was public. An individual would be “surrounded by friends, family, children and even passers-by.” Religion played a key role in what became known as the deathbed scene. The individual who was dying would be surrounded by family and friends and would tell them of his wrongdoings. These family members and friends would then go to a priest and confess these sins. During this period death was not only a physical experience for the individual, but a spiritual one. After a few centuries, science began to play an important role in the deathbed scene. Due to the rise of life-extending medicine and technology, manyindividuals could live out their final days surrounded by strangers. Now there are institutions that house those who are dying, and these institutions are hospitals and nursing homes. If an individual is in these facilities for a longer period of time, they may get to know others, but many will die without knowing who they are surrounded by. The leading cause of death has changed throughout history, but there are four main reasons why death occurs. There is age, illness, murder and suicide. Centuries ago the cause of an individual's death was unclear, but many believed it was due to evil, behavioral excesses, the wind or the moon, etc. During the 1900s it was acute infections like those that killed many people. Over the centuries, diseases have been a major cause of death. Today, most of these diseases can be cured through modern medicine. However, some of these diseases can cause death quickly or become so-called chronic disease. How an individual is treated after death is where death management practices have had significant changes. Where the body goes, what is done with it (medically), how an individual is commemorated, and the power of the dead is what has changed the most. In previous centuries, due to the lack of technology, how an individual died was not a matter of importance. high priority. Since the main cause of death was infections and diseases, many were not concerned with how the person died, but with mourning and burial. In the modern era, an autopsy or examination of the body may be performed to investigate the cause of death. If the individual dies under certain circumstances, and this is their or the family's wish, they can donate their organs. An organ transplant occurs when living tissue is taken from the donor to the recipient. The first organ transplant occurred in 1954, so this life-saving medicine is very recent. It is also possible that the individual becomes a corpse. However, many do not know how their body will be used. The body can be used to teach anatomy to medical students, for research and experiments, or to demonstrate the latest medical technology. After the body has been cared for, the individual will be prepared for burial or memorialization. During Roman times and the Middle Ages, people were buried in a cemetery that was typically near a church. Unless the individual was of high status or significance, he would not have any headstone. Today it is unlikely that you will come across an unmarked grave of someone who has recently died. This is part of the way the commemoration of the dead has changed. It is also possible for an individual to choose not to be buried and to be cremated instead. Different parts of the world have different customs when it comes to commemorating the dead. In the past, it was typical for the mourning and commemoration period to last days, months, and even years. In modern America, it is typical for a funeral or memorial service to be held for the individual. The power and names of the dead differ from place to place. Traditionally, the dead are respected and if they are not it is believed that harm could result. In traditional culture the person's name is not said because it is believed that it is a way to evoke the individual and will disturb him; this is called avoiding names. Name avoidance is seen in modern culture, but it is a way of coping with the death of a loved one, so that one is not painfully reminded of the loss. In the 21st century, the media plays an important role in a person's life and plays a vital role in how we learn about death. It can come from a newspaper, television, social media and.