Biology/biology
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Question
when human dies,which dies first, heart or mind
Hi Gosoon: Thanks for your question. When you say "die" do you mean loss of awareness?
What I mean is that people can be rescued from a stopped heart. This is called cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It happens all the time.
When the brain dies, the electrical impulses cease. This is called a "flat line" because no pulses are coming from the brain.
Most physicians and scientists in the West use brain death as "death" because sometimes the heart can be re-started.
As for "mind" there are plenty of people whose brains are inactive (coma, dementia, etc), but their bodies are still living. It is a very tough call to decide if these people are "alive" or "dead"
I hope this answers your question. Please write back if you need more information.
FM Rollwagen, PhD
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Answers by Expert:
Florence M Rollwagen
Expertise
I can answer questions in biology, microbiology and immunology on the undergraduate or graduate level. I can also address medical and health concerns regarding alternative medicine, autoimmune diseases (lupus, MS) liver disease and intestinal problems.
Experience
I have over 20 years experience in research and teaching at the medical/graduate level, and 5 years teaching college biology and microbiology. My expertise is in microbiology and immunology, specifically the biology of cytokines and soluble immune response modifiers. I also carried out original research in blood substitutes and shock/trauma.
Organizations
American Association of Immunologists (AAI)
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Publications
Journal of Experimental Medicine, Journal of Immunology, Cytokine, Shock, Experimental Hematology
Education/Credentials
BS biology 1966
MS biology 1968
PhD immunology 1979
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