Reversing Death: The Miracle of Modern Medicine

Recent breakthroughs in emergency medicine have enabled modern science to halt and even reverse death. At the same time, these advances have inadvertently led science into a domain that has traditionally been relegated to theology and philosophy. The so-called "grey areas" between the time of death and the time of resuscitation—ranging from several minutes up to several hours—have raised intriguing questions about brain activity and consciousness during this period that have compelled us to re-examine our conception of death. Emergency medicine experts Lance Becker and Sam Parnia and neurosurgeon Stephan Mayer discuss key discoveries and emerging technologies in resuscitation science that are helping to bring back those on the brink of death, and the difficult questions and ethical dilemmas they sometimes confront during medical crises. The New York Academy of Sciences Wednesday, October 9, 2013 This event is part of the Rethinking Mortality: Exploring the Boundaries between Life and Death series, which brings together leading experts to discuss this new frontier at the intersection of life and death, and its potential implications for how we approach and understand our mortality from scientific, ethical, and spiritual perspectives. http://www.nourfoundation.com/mortality