No Brain No Pain? Brain Death Sci-Polemics

NB: "Eminence-based medicine VS evidence-based medicine" is a terminology you can find in the medical bestseller, available today (Jan. 06, 2015) on Amazon (book + kindle), "The Patient Will See You Now" by Eric Topol MD. What does it mean?

The book is saying we have to move from an era in which "medicine is not a science, [but] empiricism founded on a network of blunders" (Desmore) to a "new medicine as a real data science with each individual capable of calling the shots, making the choices." (The Patient Will See You Now," page 290).

Eminence-based medicine:

In this letter he sent to me in March 2005, French pioneer of heart transplant Christian Cabrol PhD (over 80 years old today) is answering my question about brain death and feeling pain if I am a "post mortem" organ donor. His answer is pretty straightforward: no brain no pain, you cannot feel pain if you are brain dead and if surgeons are retrieving vital organs from you in this case. "If the brain is destroyed, you cannot feel pain." ("il n'existe aucune possibilité de sensation douloureuse si le cerveau est entièrement détruit").

 Evidence-based medicine:

Professeur Cabrol, I would like you to meet a patient of the future. He is a MIT engineer, and a brain tumor patient. Here in this cool video, he explains how curiosity saved his life. He had "awake brain surgery" a few months ago.

"The reason why they do this is because they had to cut through healthy brain tissue and they wanted to make sure they are not cutting my language center. (...) I'm talking about random topics while they are cutting out [part of] my brain! (...) It's the weirdest drug experience you can ever have. If any of you are worried about the surgery, it's actually NOT painful. The brain does not have pain receptors inside so I actually enjoyed the surgery, which is a weird thing to say."




OK, so, let me get this straight... This guy has a brain and he does not feel pain. Soooo... that "no brain no pain" thing is not true. If pain receptors are located outside of the brain, can I feel pain if I am brain dead?

I'm sorry, Professor Cabrol. You failed to answer my question.

Dear reader, did you know that French citizens are not allowed to have their genome sequenced? It is forbidden by law (fine, prison). However, consent to "post-mortem" organ donation is written in the French law.

Genomic Entertainment:

"Post mortem" organ donation, + the "no-brain-no-pain" question = "The Nightmare Before Christmas?"