Reversing death: the miracle of modern medicine

Breakthroughs in emergency medicine have enabled science to halt and even reverse death. However, these advances have inadvertently led science into a domain that has traditionally been the purview of theology and philosophy. Steve Paulson, executive producer and host of To the Best of Our Knowledge, moderated a discussion that included emergency medicine experts Lance B. Becker and Sam Parnia, and neurosurgeon Stephan A. Mayer; they discussed recent discoveries and emerging technologies in resuscitation science and the ethical dilemmas they sometimes confront during medical crises. The following is an edited transcript of the discussion from October 9, 2013, 7:00-8:30 PM, at the New York Academy of Sciences in New York City.