Body Transplant: Can We Have One? - RT News

[wolram]

http://rt.com/news/248473-transplant-head-body-canavero/

what do you think about this, if it is true can i have one mines knakered

 

[mfb]

Well... why not? You can argue that a healthy body can be used to save more than one life if multiple organs are used somewhere, but having the option of such a head transplant is certainly interesting. Independent of the outcome, I guess there is much we can learn about human biology.

I don't share the optimisim of the surgeon, however - if connecting two parts of the spinal cord would be that easy, there would be a long list of people waiting for it. They probably have perfect conditions here, but that will still be a very critical part, together with the usual issues of transplanted body parts.

 

[OmCheeto]

http://rt.com/news/248473-transplant-head-body-canavero/

what do you think about this, if it is true can i have one mines knakered

He seems like a very nice, smart young man.
I think they should do the procedure on about 200-300 MPs first.
It would be a shame to practice this first, on someone with a functioning brain.

 

[wolram]

He seems like a very nice, smart young man.
I think they should do the procedure on about 200-300 MPs first.
It would be a shame to practice this first, on someone with a functioning brain.

LOL

 

[Evo]

http://rt.com/news/248473-transplant-head-body-canavero/

what do you think about this, if it is true can i have one mines knakered

RT is not an acceptable source, so I wouldn't hold your breath.

 

[Pythagorean]

Many experts in associated fields have criticized his claims already:

https://www.braindecoder.com/please-dont-take-the-head-transplant-surgeon-seriously-1085090918.html

 

[wolram]

I have dissowned this post, if i get an infraction it'''''''''''''''''''''''''s not my fault

 

[Evo]

I have dissowned this post, if i get an infraction it'''''''''''''''''''''''''s not my fault

Awww, you're not getting an infraction.

 

[OmCheeto]

RT is not an acceptable source, so I wouldn't hold your breath.

It does have origins from an apparently legitimate source:

American Academy of Neurological & Orthopaedic Surgeons

Next Meeting
Join Us for the Academy’s 39th Annual Scientific Meeting
June 12-13, 2015 – Westin Hotel, Annapolis, MD
...
Preliminary Program
Keynote Lecture
HEAVEN-GEMINI: Head Transplantation: The Future Is Now
Sergio Canavero, MD, Director, Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group, Turin, Italy (Click here to read article in New Scientist Magazine)

A comment in the New Scientist Magazine seems to confirm Pythagorean's statement:

First human head transplant could happen in two years
New Scientist Magazine
25 February 2015
...
Unsurprisingly, the surgical community is also wary of embracing the idea. Many surgeons contacted by New Scientist refused to comment on the proposed project, or said it sounded "too outlandish" to be a serious consideration.
...

 

[Evo]

Seems it's just a sensationalist ploy to get attention. No one is taking it seriously.

Unsurprisingly, the surgical community is also wary of embracing the idea. Many surgeons contacted by New Scientist refused to comment on the proposed project, or said it sounded "too outlandish" to be a serious consideration.

"This is such an overwhelming project, the possibility of it happening is very unlikely," says Harry Goldsmith, a clinical professor of neurological surgery at the University of California, Davis, who has performed one of the few surgeries that enabled someone with a spinal cord injury to regain the ability to walk. "I don't believe it will ever work, there are too many problems with the procedure. Trying to keep someone healthy in a coma for four weeks – it's not going to happen."

Nick Rebel, executive director of the US branch of the International College of Surgeons, says that although his organisation, along with the AANOS, is giving Canavero a stage, it is not sponsoring his ideas. "We're creating a venue for him to launch the project. There will be a lot of top international surgeons at the conference and we shall see whether it is well received or not."

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22530103.700-first-human-head-transplant-could-happen-in-two-years.html?full=true#.VO-HQCzX51p

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Here is an update to the story
http://www.newsweek.com/2016/05/06/first-human-head-transplant-452240.html

 

[mfb]

"This magazine article is only available to paid subscribers "

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

"This magazine article is only available to paid subscribers "

hmmm maybe it's a country block because I can read with without logging in or having a subscription.

 

[OmCheeto]

hmmm maybe it's a country block because I can read with without logging in or having a subscription.

I read it with no problem.
Here are the raw notes I've extracted over the last 2 hours:

Gemini: spinal cord fusion
Heaven: HEad Anastomosis VENture
----
my transcription rom the video, where "The Doctor" describes the spinal chord:

t≈3:00
A bundle of one million fibers, all of them necessary, for movements to occur, just like spaghetti.

For movements to occur, you really need all of them. In the spinal cord, the spaghetti come in contact with specialized cells called motor neurons. These are the cells, that make you move.

If this were the true story, I wouldn't be here. But the story, is, plenty different. I welcome you, to HEAVEN...​

-----------

Another article
Head transplant carried out on monkey, claims maverick surgeon
19 January 2016

"Canavero says Kim’s work shows that the spinal cord can re-fuse if it is cut cleanly in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG), a chemical that preserves nerve cell membranes. “These experiments prove once and for all that simply using PEG, you can see partial recovery,” he says."​

--------
wiki on Polyethylene glycol
...

• The injection of PEG 2000 into the bloodstream of guinea pigs after spinal cord injury leads to rapid recovery through molecular repair of nerve membranes.[17] The effectiveness of this treatment to prevent paraplegia in humans after an accident is not known yet.
• PEG is being used in the repair of motor neurons damaged in crush or laceration incidents in vivo and in vitro. When coupled with melatonin, 75% of damaged sciatic nerves were rendered viable.[18]

[17] R. B. Borgens and D. Bohnert (2001). "Rapid recovery from spinal cord injury after subcutaneously administered polyethylene glycol". Journal of Neuroscience Research 66 (6): 1179–1186. doi:10.1002/jnr.1254. http://https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11746451 .

[18] G. Bittner el. al. (2005). "Melatonin enhances the in vitro and in vivo repair of severed rat sciatic axons". Neouroscience Letters 376 (2): 98–101. doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2004.11.033. http://https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15698928 ​

Of course, as a notaneuroscientist, I just look at all this, shake my head and say; "Looks like science fiction to me".

 

[Flatland]

They have successfully done this to monkeys but they were paralyzed from the neck down and did not live long.

 

[ProfuselyQuarky]

but they were paralyzed from the neck down and did not live long.

So that wasn't exactly a success, was it?

 

[Pythagorean]

So that wasn't exactly a success, was it?

Well it was in the sense that he was able to cross connect things between two different orgasms to sustain life. I don't remember if it was circulatory or nervous system or both, but the problem that he was solving when he did that expeirment was that two organisms of the same species aren't 1-to-1 the number of veins and nerves connecting my head to my neck is different than yours, so if we swapped heads, the surgeon would have to figure out, on the spot, how to match any "spare" or "crossed" hardware as it were.

But before we question the validity of it, I think the ethics are the bigger issue.

 

[rootone]

Even if became possible to successfully rewire the nervous system, I can't see that this procedure would be practiced.
As with any other transplant the donor and recipient would need to be genetically similar.
The person whose head is to be transplanted presumably is in a terminal condition and could die soon of heart failure or something, probably sooner than a suitable fully functional body but which is brain dead could be found.
Think of the logistics too - the body, let's presume the victim of a car crash or similar, would have to be delivered to the operating theatre within an hour at the most, and a team of very highly skilled surgeons + support staff would need to be permanently on standby ready to do the job at any time without notice or any time to prepare.

 

[Flatland]

So that wasn't exactly a success, was it?

Well how do you define success? The monkeys did survive for a period of time. For example people with organ transplants have severely reduced life expectancy (for the most part). Would you consider that a success or failure?

 

[ProfuselyQuarky]

Well how do you define success?

For one thing, they were paralyzed from the neck down. Applying that to a human, wouldn't that be almost worst than death? You're completely dependent on other people (most likely your family) and you can never do anything else on your own. You may live longer, but that time is spent in suffering. Yeah, it's great that the procedure prolonged the life of the monkeys for a bit, but I don't think that those results are "enough" for people.

 

[Flatland]

For one thing, they were paralyzed from the neck down. Applying that to a human, wouldn't that be almost worst than death? You're completely dependent on other people (most likely your family) and you can never do anything else on your own. You may live longer, but that time is spent in suffering. Yeah, it's great that the procedure prolonged the life of the monkeys for a bit, but I don't think that those results are "enough" for people.

I get your point but we still have to start somewhere. Again this is more of a morality question.

 

[ProfuselyQuarky]

I get your point but we still have to start somewhere. Again this is more of a morality question.

Yes, it is a step--a great one--I was just saying that it wasn't a success based on the standards that would make it possible and moral to do it on people.

This topic is as bad as the cloning controversy ... bio class sure lost a leg and arm about that one.

 

[Hoophy]

For one thing, they were paralyzed from the neck down. Applying that to a human, wouldn't that be almost worst than death? You're completely dependent on other people (most likely your family) and you can never do anything else on your own. You may live longer, but that time is spent in suffering. Yeah, it's great that the procedure prolonged the life of the monkeys for a bit, but I don't think that those results are "enough" for people.

I think that it depends on what you do afterward, I know this example does not quite match but at least it is a bit similar: I think that Stephen Hawking is happy to be alive, but maybe that is a function of his accomplishments. I am not sure.

 

[ProfuselyQuarky]

I think that it depends on what you do afterward, I know this example does not quite match but at least it is a bit similar: I think that Stephen Hawking is happy to be alive, but maybe that is a function of his accomplishments. I am not sure.

I think that Stephen Hawking's situation is different than what "common" people would experience. Hawking is famous and brilliant with millions of followers seeking his opinion--he's still got a life to live. That's much different compared to the majority of people.

 

[Hoophy]

I think that Stephen Hawking's situation is different than what "common" people would experience. Hawking is famous and brilliant with millions of followers seeking his opinion--he's still got a life to live. That's much different compared to the majority of people.

Yeah, I can agree with you there.

 

[Jupiter60]

What about being able to upload the mind to another brain? Will that ever be possible?

 

[rootone]

What about being able to upload the mind to another brain? Will that ever be possible?

That depends on whether a 'mind' is or is not a product (even partly) of the physical brain.
Nobody knows, but I suspect that it is, (partly at least)

 

[Hoophy]

What about being able to upload the mind to another brain? Will that ever be possible?

That sure scares me!

 

[rootone]

That sure scares me!

Me too, imagine what 'terrorists' could do with any such technology - threaten to turn everybody into the same personality!

 

[Hoophy]

Me too, imagine what 'terrorists' could do with any such technology - threaten to turn everybody into the same personality!

Or an elite class living forever, getting wealthier, and increasing the divide while preventing the poor from using such technology! The population of Earth could be split into the 'slaves' and the 'masters'. Imagine a malevolent dictator who oppresses and slaughters his subjects, now imagine he can and WILL live forever. -shivers-