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  • Essay / Sociology of death and dying: changing death management practices

    Essay on death and dyingDeath has been part of life from the beginning. It's one of the safest things in life. The way we deal with death 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 people die, the deathbed scene, the cause of death, several 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 a heartbeat and breathing.” Today, death is more difficult to define due to technological advances. To explore the theme of death and dying, this essay examines the evolution of human attitudes toward death throughout history. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay An individual could suffer from brain death, clinical death, or cell death. Brain death occurs when the functions provided by the brainstem cease, but a heartbeat and other functions remain. To determine whether brain death has occurred, four main criteria must be met. There must be a "lack of receptivity and response to external stimuli, an absence of spontaneous muscle movements and spontaneous breathing, an absence of observable reflexes, including cerebral and spinal reflexes, and an absence of brain activity, such as the means a flat electroencephalogram.” If this criterion is met and there is no heartbeat, then clinical death has occurred. Cell death occurs when breathing, brain activity, and heartbeat cease. Today, there are multiple ways to define death; however, there are two things they will all have in common: once death occurs, it is irreversible. Thanks to the rise 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 of these factors played a role in how the children experienced death. Before and in the early 1900s, children experienced death because 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 the United States is expected to live seven or eight decades. The leading cause of death has shifted from acute infections to chronic diseases. This is called an epidemiological transition or the redistribution of deaths from young to old people and the study of health and disease through models is epidemiology. Death is one of the most certain things in life, but we don't know exactly where a person will die. In the Middle Ages, when someone died, it was a public ceremony. 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 dying person was surrounded by family and friends and told them about his wrongdoings. These family members and friends would then go to a priest and confess these sins. At that time, death was not only a physical experience for the individual, but also a spiritual experience. After a few centuries, science began to play an important role inthe deathbed scene. Due to the rise of life-extending medicine and technology, many people may live out their final days surrounded by strangers. There are now institutions that house the dying, and these institutions are hospitals and nursing homes. If a person stays in these establishments for a longer period of time, they may get to know others, but many will die without knowing who is around them. The leading cause of death has changed throughout history, but there are four main causes of death. There is age, illness, homicide and suicide. Centuries ago, the cause of an individual's death was unclear, but many believed it was due to evil, excess behavior, the wind or the moon, etc. During the 1900s, it was acute infections like this that killed many people. Over the centuries, disease has been one of the leading causes of death. Today, most of these diseases can be cured using modern medicine. However, some of these illnesses can lead to death quickly or become what is called a chronic illness. It is in the way a person is treated after their death that death management practices have undergone significant changes. What has changed the most is where the body goes, what we do with it (medically), how an individual is memorialized and the power they have. In previous centuries, due to lack of technology, how an individual died was not a question. high priority. Since the main cause of death was infections and disease, 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 to investigate the cause of death may be performed. If the person died in certain circumstances, and it is their wishes or that of their family, they can donate their organs. An organ transplant involves taking living tissue from a donor to a recipient. The first organ transplant took place in 1954, so this life-saving drug is very new. It is also possible that the individual will become a corpse. However, many do not know how their bodies will be used. The body can be used to teach anatomy to medical students, for research and experiments, or to demonstrate the latest medical technologies. Once the body has been cared for, the individual will be prepared for burial or memorialization. During Roman times and the Middle Ages, individuals were buried in a cemetery which was usually near a church. Unless the individual was of high status or importance, there would be no headstone. Today, it is unlikely that one will be able to find the unmarked grave of someone who recently died. This is part of how commemoration of the dead has changed. It is also possible that a person may choose not to be buried and be cremated instead. Different regions of the world have different customs when it comes to commemorating the dead. In the past, the period of mourning and remembrance typically lasted days, months, and even years. In modern America, it is common 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 spoken because it is believed to be a way of summoning the individual and disturbing them; This is called name avoidance. Avoidance of names is present in modern culture, but it is one way..