Why the law fixes a moment of death, while biology unfolds it as a process
The central distinction
Death is spoken of in court as a definite event: a person was
alive at one moment and dead at another. Biology is less abrupt. The human
organism may cease to function as an integrated whole even though some of its
cells and tissues remain viable or excitable for a limited period. Forensic
medicine therefore distinguishes somatic
death from molecular death.
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