The shortage of organs for transplantation

To the Editor: Dr. Spital's article (Oct. 24 issue) * on the very real shortage of available organs was one-sided, emphasizing the problem from the perspective of the recipient. He was quite accurate that “many families derive great comfort from donating, knowing that some good can come out of an otherwise senseless tragedy.” Some families have used those very words to me, but the concept of brain death is relatively new, poorly understood, and not accepted by many people. My colleagues in neurology and I are consulted almost daily, not only to assist in the medical treatment of illness, but.