Principles and concepts of brain death and organ donation: The Jewish perspective

The harvesting of organs for transplantation is dependent on a stringent de finition of brain death. Different societies have had to struggle with thei r cultural heritage, adapting it to conform to the advances in medical scie nce and the need of the sick. In this article, the development of the conce pt of brain death as it applies to organ transplantation in Judaism is outl ined. The ability of traditional Jewish values to address themselves to the challenges of modem medicine can serve as a basis for cultural cross-ferti lization and comparison in modern societies.