Each culture, religion and even person interprets death in a different way, giving it a varied definition and meaning throughout the world.
However, despite the great diversity of what the idea of death is and how this inevitable final stage of life is experienced, the truth is that we can find different types of death taking into account two main criteria: legal and spiritual. biological.
Throughout this article we are going to discover what the types of death are depending on what caused it and depending on what science says about what the end of life is. Let’s find out!
Since human beings have been aware of their existence, they have also been aware of the end of their days. The idea of death has been the subject of debate throughout history, attributing causality and a different meaning depending on the place, culture, religion and philosophy that was asked.
However, in biological terms, we can give a concise and brief definition of what it means: death is the end of life, the total inability of the organism to maintain homeostasis of the body through biological processes
In the spiritual realm, death is associated with the end of earthly life and the beginning of heavenly life, with endless beliefs about what comes next. If we ask philosophers what death is, although each of them has their own opinion about what it is, they all agree that death is the only certainty that human beings have about themselves.
Whatever our idea of death, the truth is that there are several ways in which this phenomenon can occur. The end of life can occur naturally or through the action of an agent outside the person from a very serious illness to because someone, voluntarily or unconsciously, has ended the life of another individual.
The different types of death can be classified into two main criteria, the first being that we are going to see taking into consideration what caused it while the second has to do with what science thinks about this phenomenon.
Types of death according to cause
Death can occur due to some failure of the body, an accident or because another person has decided to end someone’s life, among others.
1. Natural death
It has practically always been believed that people who reached old age died simply because they reached a certain age. As the individual had already lived a long time, sooner or later it was time for him to leave for the other world. This type of death was called natural death, differentiating it from those that occurred due to accidents or violence.
Nowadays we know that all deaths occur for a reason, although we do not always know it. That an elderly person dies It is not because the clock of life has run out, but rather there has been something in your body that has failed, something totally normal in elderly people whose natural defense mechanisms have deteriorated over time.
Although, strictly speaking, no one dies just because everything has a cause, today the term natural death is still used to indicate that the person has died because of something that does not come from outside of them.
2. Apparent death
Sometimes, although very rarely, it happens that the body momentarily loses all its vital functions, a phenomenon called catalepsy. Technically, the organism is alive, but it appears not to be because it has entered a transitory state that apparently makes anyone believe that the person is dead The individual who has entered this curious state can be resuscitated through different medical procedures.
This, which is known to happen today, was not known before. Since sophisticated autopsy techniques and devices that monitor vital functions were not available, in the past it used to happen that, after seeing that a person showed no signs of life, they were considered deceased and the entire funeral procedure began, burying them or burning her alive.
3. Sudden death
Considered a natural death by some, sudden death is one in which the individual dies without an apparent cause or illness, or who was not suspected of dying in the short term. These types of deaths are characterized by being unexpected and rapid occurring in newborns and there is also a risk of suffering from it when the age of forty is exceeded.
In the case of newborns, what is known as sudden infant death predominates, the causes of which are unknown although it is believed that they could be problems in the development of some vital function, generally respiratory function. In the case of adults, cardiovascular diseases predominate as a cause of sudden death
Sudden deaths are also considered those that occur during the first hour after the appearance of the symptom that is attributed to having been its cause.
4. Violent death
It is considered violent death when what caused the death is completely unrelated to the functioning of the body An external motive has caused some action, deliberate or not, that has ended up causing the death of the victim in a particularly violent way.
Suicide is the situation in which the individual voluntarily ends his or her life.
Those who end their lives like this usually do so after having suffered a lot suffering from a mental disorder such as depression or finding themselves in a situation from which they believe they will not be able to escape.
6. Homicide
Homicide is the act by which a person deliberately takes the life of another
In most countries in the world, this act is considered a very serious crime, with the laws being especially strict with this crime. In fact, it is so serious that there are states in which the crime of homicide is punished with the death penalty, which is nothing more than carrying out a homicide but through legal means and supported by institutions.
7. Accidental death
An accidental death is considered to be that situation in which the deceased has died due to something external to his or her body, but that There has been no intention or voluntariness on the part of whoever handled that object if there was one
The causes can be very diverse, such as a car crash, poisoning with spoiled food or due to the irresponsible action of another person with any object, vehicle or whatever.
8. Assisted suicide
Assisted suicide is the type of death that a person is provided, intentionally and with the necessary knowledge, with the necessary means to end his or her life, including advising on lethal doses of medications, prescribing or dispensing them. It is the patient who voluntarily ends her life.
Types of death according to Medicine
Although death remains a great mystery for everyone in philosophical and spiritual terms, when it comes to science it is a little clear what it means.
Death is defined as that situation in which the organism no longer carries out the physiological processes to keep it alive, although there are several ways in which it can occur taking into account biological and physiological aspects.
Be that as it may, all of them involve the absence of the respiratory process, non-contraction of the heart and/or lack of nerve impulses
9. Somatic death
Multicellular organisms, such as our species, exist thanks to the multiple chemical and biological reactions that their cells carry out among themselves. In the event that the cells are damaged, either naturally or due to some pathology, A multisystem failure may occur that would compromise the health of the organism as a whole and, if it worsens, cause death
In the human case, vital organs such as the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys and liver, if damaged, can cause the person’s death, even instantly if the injury or pathology is serious. very serious. Depending on the problem behind somatic death, we talk about different medical conditions.
9.1. Syncope
A syncope is a failure in the heart due to the lack of nerve impulses that should reach this organ This causes the blood to not circulate properly, reducing blood flow and causing tissue necrosis. A condition associated with this problem is acute myocardial infarction.
Related article: “Syncope (fainting): symptoms, types, causes and what to do”
9.2. Asthenia
Asthenia is a medical problem in which blood flow is weak which can cause different cardiac pathologies.
You may be interested: “The 24 branches of Medicine (and how they try to cure patients)”
9.3. Anemia
Anemia is a medical condition in which there is a decrease in the amount of blood in the blood supply, causing heart failure, almost always due to a hemorrhagic injury. The person dies from losing blood.
9.4. Eat
Coma begins in the injured brain, causing the lack of sending nervous stimuli to the rest of the body, absolute loss of consciousness and, in the short or long term, the death of the affected person. Several diseases can be behind coma, including meningitis, encephalitis, intracranial hypertension and stroke.
10. Necrosis
Is about the death of a cell or group of cells because they have been attacked by pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, viruses or any other type of foreign body
The attacked areas end up decomposing, and can be the focus of more infections throughout the entire body because the pathogens thrive and travel to the rest of the body.
11. Necrobiosis
Necrobiosis is programmed cell death and, therefore, it is a natural process that should not cause any problem except when it occurs due to the action of some type of external or internal factor, such as a pathology, the activation of a gene or through microbiological action.
12. Clinical death
Clinical death is usually defined as that type of death in which the person has stopped sending nerve impulses on their own There is the possibility of keeping the person alive through mechanical equipment that maintains the most basic homeostatic functions, although it is likely that the person will remain in a coma.
