So they think they can reattach a human head…

http://www.surgicalneurologyint.com/article.asp?issn=2152-7806;year=2013;volume=4;issue=2;spage=335;epage=342;aulast=Canavero

In 1970, the first cephalosomatic linkage was achieved in the monkey. However, the technology did not exist for reconnecting the spinal cord, and this line of research was no longer pursued. In this paper, an outline for the first total cephalic exchange in man is provided and spinal reconnection is described. The use of fusogens, special membrane-fusion substances, is discussed in view of the first human cord linkage

The greatest technical hurdle to such endeavor is of course the reconnection of the donor (D)’s and recipient ®’s spinal cords. It is my contention that the technology only now exists for such linkage. This paper sketches out a possible human scenario and outlines the technology to reconnect the severed cord (project GEMINI). It is argued that several up to now hopeless medical conditions might benefit from such procedure.

why not just try to cure existing spinal cord injury? why go the whole head?

anyway.. interesting stuff.

Arts said:

why not just try to cure existing spinal cord injury? why go the whole head?

My thoughts exactly when I heard this.

ok, it seems that the successful reattachment of the SCI was from a clean cut and started within minutes of ‘injury’

real injuries are not clean sliced and often have end damage and scarring. It’s the difference between reattaching a clean cut rope and reattaching a severed rope that has frayed…

still, seems overly optimistic…

so what situation would you want to reattach your head to another person body? Massive burn victims? amputees? people with muscle degenerating diseases, deformities?…
I am hesitant to add SCI’s though I’m sure there are many that would go for this, but the body of an SCI isn’t useless.. everything is still there, it just needs the connection…

Arts said:

why not just try to cure existing spinal cord injury? why go the whole head?

I suppose if Person A had a live head and a dead body, and Person B had a live body and a dead head, then you could create live person AB, which might be seen as a good thing, at least by Person A.

The ethical ramifications are a bit mind-boggling though.

What’s SCI?

The Rev Dodgson said:

What’s SCI?

Spinal cord injury

The Rev Dodgson said:

Arts said:

why not just try to cure existing spinal cord injury? why go the whole head?

I suppose if Person A had a live head and a dead body, and Person B had a live body and a dead head, then you could create live person AB, which might be seen as a good thing, at least by Person A.

The ethical ramifications are a bit mind-boggling though.

It would be interesting to see what happened to the ‘morphling’ There is already speculation about acquisition of donor traits … that’s just for individual organs.. imagine a whole body!

Arts said:

I am hesitant to add SCI’s though I’m sure there are many that would go for this, but the body of an SCI isn’t useless.. everything is still there, it just needs the connection…

If the connections aren’t there, then the body is as good as useless. They could always attach the new body at a point higher than where the old one was damaged, but then why not just replace the damaged section with a donor length? Twice as much work, but a far better outcome.

Arts said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

Arts said:

why not just try to cure existing spinal cord injury? why go the whole head?

I suppose if Person A had a live head and a dead body, and Person B had a live body and a dead head, then you could create live person AB, which might be seen as a good thing, at least by Person A.

The ethical ramifications are a bit mind-boggling though.

It would be interesting to see what happened to the ‘morphling’ There is already speculation about acquisition of donor traits … that’s just for individual organs.. imagine a whole body!

Especially if one bit was male and the other female :) (see chat thread).

Carmen_Sandiego said:

Arts said:

I am hesitant to add SCI’s though I’m sure there are many that would go for this, but the body of an SCI isn’t useless.. everything is still there, it just needs the connection…

If the connections aren’t there, then the body is as good as useless. They could always attach the new body at a point higher than where the old one was damaged, but then why not just replace the damaged section with a donor length? Twice as much work, but a far better outcome.

But is the hypothesised use of this technique actually intended for Spinal Chord Injuries, rather than dead body injuries?

Carmen_Sandiego said:

Arts said:

I am hesitant to add SCI’s though I’m sure there are many that would go for this, but the body of an SCI isn’t useless.. everything is still there, it just needs the connection…

If the connections aren’t there, then the body is as good as useless. They could always attach the new body at a point higher than where the old one was damaged, but then why not just replace the damaged section with a donor length? Twice as much work, but a far better outcome.

if they can ‘connect’ a whole head and spinal cord, then they can connect just a spinal cord.. bar for the earlier problems of scaring and unclean legions.

The body isn’t damaged.. it still works fine given the right connection.. (and physiotherapy)

Might yet see pulsating brains in jars within our own lifetimes.

maybe Walt wasn’t as crackpot as the rumours indicated…

Wouldn’t Walt be suffering from freezer burn by now?
(the contents of my freezer dont last forever)

No, because he was buried, not frozen.

Divine Angel said:

No, because he was buried, not frozen.

Yeah?
Is the Walt story a myth that Ive been sucked in to?

gaghalfrunt said:

Divine Angel said:

No, because he was buried, not frozen.

Yeah?
Is the Walt story a myth that Ive been sucked in to?

‘Fraid so. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_disney#Hibernation_urban_legend

Snopes say: “there is no documentary evidence to suggest that Walt Disney was interested in, or had even heard of, cryonics”

http://www.snopes.com/disney/info/wd-ice.htm