The Living End: The New Sciences of Death, Ageing and Immortality (Macmillan Science)

The decline of infections, starvation, heart attack, and stroke has allowed people to reach extreme old age—and ushered in disability, dementia, and degenerative disease, with profound consequences for the self and society. In chapters echoing Dante's nine circles of hell, Dr. Guy Brown explores these vital issues at various levels, from the cell, to the whole body, to society and how all this new medical technology affects the meaning of death. He tracks the seismic shifts in the causes and character of death that are rocking medicine and reveals how technological innovations, such as cloning and electronic interfaces, hint at new modes of "survival" after death. "Death is not what it once was. The decline of acute death by infections, starvation, violence and heart attack has allowed people to reach extreme old age, but has ushered in disability, dementia and degenerative disease, with profound consequences for the self and society. The future of death is even more extreme, and constitutes one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. In chapters echoing Dante's nine circles of hell, Dr. Guy Brown explores these vital issues at various levels, from the cell, to the whole body, to society. He reveals that cell death is central to cutting edge biology and medicine, from embryo formation to cancer cures. He tracks the seismic shifts in the causes and character of death that are rocking medicine. And he reveals how technological innovations, such as cloning and electronic interfaces, hint at new modes of survival after death."--Jacket 1. 1. 1. -- 2. The 1. -- 2. The 1. -- 2. The -- 3. 1. -- 2. The -- 3. 1. -- 2. The -- 3. -- 4. 1. -- 2. The -- 3. -- 4. 1. -- 2. The -- 3. -- 4. -- 5. 1. -- 2. The -- 3. -- 4. -- 5. 1. -- 2. The -- 3. -- 4. -- 5. -- 6. 1. -- 2. The -- 3. -- 4. -- 5. -- 6. 1. -- 2. The -- 3. -- 4. -- 5. -- 6. -- 7. 1. -- 2. The -- 3. -- 4. -- 5. -- 6. -- 7. 1. -- 2. The -- 3. -- 4. -- 5. -- 6. -- 7. -- 8. 1. -- 2. The -- 3. -- 4. -- 5. -- 6. -- 7. -- 8. 1. -- 2. The -- 3. -- 4. -- 5. -- 6. -- 7. -- 8. -- 9. 1. -- 2. The -- 3. -- 4. -- 5. -- 6. -- 7. -- 8. -- 9. 1. -- 2. The -- 3. -- 4. -- 5. -- 6. -- 7. -- 8. -- 9. 1. -- 2. The -- 3. -- 4. -- 5. -- 6. -- 7. -- 8. -- 9. 1.-- 2. The-- 3.-- 4.-- 5.-- 6.-- 7.-- 8.-- 9. Contents 6 1 Beginnings and Endings 10 Interlude 1 A Brief History of Death and Damnation 24 2 The Changing Face of Death 35 Interlude 2 The Meaning of Death 49 3 Kicking the Bucket 53 Interlude 3 The Search for Immortality 71 4 Death is Falling Apart 79 Interlude 4 The Immortals of Luggnagg 96 5 Losing Your Marbles 99 Interlude 5 The Mortal Soul 114 6 Digital Self 124 Interlude 6 The Fear of Death 142 7 Cellular Death 147 Interlude 7 When Do We Become Old? 169 8 Aging 174 Interlude 8 Should Death Be Resisted? 208 9 Immortality 217 Postscript And How Should We Die? 267 References 270 Index 279 The award-winning author of The Energy of Life examines how new technological, scientific, and medical advances have transformed our understanding of death, revealing why a decline of infection, starvation, heart attack, and stroke has in turn led to an increase in disability, dementia, and degenerative disease, and examining the implications of the change. 10,000 first printing. The decline of infections, starvation, warfare, heart attack and stroke has allowed people to reach extreme old age but ushered in disability, dementia and degenerative disease, with profound consequences for the self and society. Dr Guy Brown explores these vital issues at various levels, from the cell, to the whole body, to society.