Transplanting a human head onto a donor body may sound like the stuff of science fiction comics, but not to Italian doctor Sergio Canavero. He has not only published a paper describing the operation in detail, but also believes that the surgery could be a reality as early as 2017.

Canavero, Director of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group, initially highlighted the idea in 2013, stating his belief that the technology to successfully join two severed spinal cords existed. Since then he’s worked out the details, describing the operation in his recent paper, as the Gemini spinal cord fusion protocol (GEMINI GCF).

more…

A lot of ground work is being done in this field in the Levant.

Peak Warming Man said:

A lot of ground work is being done in this field in the Levant.

so is a lot of work on pickled and spiced figs.

Peak Warming Man said:

A lot of ground work is being done in this field in the Levant.

They are good at subtraction but haven’t tried addition yet.
They do self division well & with several wives they are also good at multiplication.

Tamb said:

Peak Warming Man said:

A lot of ground work is being done in this field in the Levant.

They are good at subtraction but haven’t tried addition yet.
They do self division well & with several wives they are also good at multiplication.

that’s why they had to learn to count the stars. It was the only thing approximate.

“Sir! Sir! Sir!” (thrusts had vigorously in the air) “I know, why don’t we swap the heads of all the government members, with those of the opposition? if it doesn’t work nobody will ever know!!

link might help

Scientist claims that human head transplants could be a reality by 2017

from the article

“Many are dystrophic,” Canavero tells Gizmag. “These people are in horrible pain.”

The most well-known example of a head transplant was when Dr. Robert White, a neurosurgeon, transplanted the head of one rhesus monkey onto another in 1970. The spinal cords, however, were not connected to each other, leaving the monkey unable to control its body. It subsequently died after the donor body rejected the head.

Current technology and recent advances hold out more promise. Canavero plans to garner support for the project, when he presents it at the American Academy of neurological and Orthopaedic Surgeons conference in Annapolis, Maryland, later this year. Understandably his proposal has generated incredible controversy, with experts questioning the specifics and ethics of the procedure, even going as far as calling it bad science.

Canavero isn’t fazed at all, though.

“These experts failed for 35 years to cure paralysis,” Canavero tells us. “Pretty sure the bad science is theirs.”

But is it a head transplant or a body transplant?

The Rev Dodgson said:

But is it a head transplant or a body transplant?

Usually called a “full body transplant”, since the head is the subject of the transplant, not the body.

Some background research on this topic:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_with_Two_Brains

The Rev Dodgson said:

But is it a head transplant or a body transplant?

Phoaw this could be a wonderful discussion.
Where does the human essence live.
The brain is the obvious answer but recent studies claim that the heart does in fact retain emotional memory.

I’d be happy enough in a jar, if I was plugged into a powerful VR computer.

Peak Warming Man said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

But is it a head transplant or a body transplant?

Phoaw this could be a wonderful discussion.
Where does the human essence live.
The brain is the obvious answer but recent studies claim that the heart does in fact retain emotional memory.

“Tell me where is fancy bred,
Or in the heart or in the head?
How begot, how nourished? Reply, reply.
It is engender’d in the eyes,
With gazing fed; and fancy dies
In the cradle, where it lies. Let us all ring fancy’s knell; I’ll begin it – Ding, dong, bell.”

Bill S.

The Rev Dodgson said:

Peak Warming Man said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

But is it a head transplant or a body transplant?

Phoaw this could be a wonderful discussion.
Where does the human essence live.
The brain is the obvious answer but recent studies claim that the heart does in fact retain emotional memory.

“Tell me where is fancy bred,
Or in the heart or in the head?
How begot, how nourished? Reply, reply.
It is engender’d in the eyes,
With gazing fed; and fancy dies
In the cradle, where it lies. Let us all ring fancy’s knell; I’ll begin it – Ding, dong, bell.”

Bill S.

Bill Sherwood never wrote like that!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oL7XP0ROvk

The Rev Dodgson said:

Peak Warming Man said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

But is it a head transplant or a body transplant?

Phoaw this could be a wonderful discussion.
Where does the human essence live.
The brain is the obvious answer but recent studies claim that the heart does in fact retain emotional memory.

“Tell me where is fancy bred,
Or in the heart or in the head?
How begot, how nourished? Reply, reply.
It is engender’d in the eyes,
With gazing fed; and fancy dies
In the cradle, where it lies. Let us all ring fancy’s knell; I’ll begin it – Ding, dong, bell.”

Bill S.

He were genius.
He only saw 54 summers for such production.

CrazyNeutrino said:

Transplanting a human head onto a donor body may sound like the stuff of science fiction comics, but not to Italian doctor Sergio Canavero. He has not only published a paper describing the operation in detail, but also believes that the surgery could be a reality as early as 2017.

Canavero, Director of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group, initially highlighted the idea in 2013, stating his belief that the technology to successfully join two severed spinal cords existed. Since then he’s worked out the details, describing the operation in his recent paper, as the Gemini spinal cord fusion protocol (GEMINI GCF).

Just do it.

The main problem that I’m aware of is that when nerve cells are cut they retract, and then they form a clot and scar tissue that the regrowing nerve cells can’t get through. They can be rejoined if the retracted ends of each cell is found and stretched out again. It’s like the problem of retraction of then ends of cut tendons, but more difficult because there are thousands of nerve cells as against only one or two tendons.

If it is possible then wouldn’t the first application be to heal quad/paraplegia?

tauto said:

If it is possible then wouldn’t the first application be to heal quad/paraplegia?

that is what the Italian doctor Sergio Canavero is suggesting in the article

tauto said:

If it is possible then wouldn’t the first application be to heal quad/paraplegia?

the first thing is to see how long you can keep a head alive.
What does it need besides oxygenated blood flow?

CrazyNeutrino said:

tauto said:

If it is possible then wouldn’t the first application be to heal quad/paraplegia?

that is what the Italian doctor Sergio Canavero is suggesting in the article

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If the good doctor can fuse different bodies then why can’t he reconnect existing spines?

spines = spinal injuries

Gives a whole new meaning to having a “head job”

CrazyNeutrino said:

Transplanting a human head onto a donor body may sound like the stuff of science fiction comics, but not to Italian doctor Sergio Canavero. He has not only published a paper describing the operation in detail, but also believes that the surgery could be a reality as early as 2017.

Canavero, Director of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group, initially highlighted the idea in 2013, stating his belief that the technology to successfully join two severed spinal cords existed. Since then he’s worked out the details, describing the operation in his recent paper, as the Gemini spinal cord fusion protocol (GEMINI GCF).

more…

To connect two separate spinal columns would surely be harder than to reconnect two parts of a severed spinal column but they are nowhere near able to do the latter.

the latest I have seen is a ‘by pass’ system… where they use artificial ‘cord’ and link it above and below the injury site.

But since no more has been heard about it I suspect not much came of it.

The trouble with this type of research is that the ‘success stories’ occur when the injury is surgical and care is provided for the moment of injury .. this does not happen in the real world, therefore the scope of injuries to the same area is huge.. one answer isn’t going to work for all.

They are, however, making some progress with stem cells…