In our time, few doubt the unlimited possibilities of science. Medicine has reached a high level, and its modern technology allows you to fight many diseases that were previously considered incurable. Separate attention deserves a section of transplantology. Stories about the preservation of limbs and the replacement of individual organs by donors gradually become routine. It is possible that very soon the first in the world transplantation of the head will be carried out. What are the chances for success in carrying out such an operation and how can you evaluate it from the ethical point of view?
Two-headed dogs
The possibility of transplanting the body would give eternal life to any organism. It is not surprising that research in this direction has been conducted for a long time. And yet, the operation for a head transplant is very difficult. It is believed that the first in the world decided on her scientist from America, Charles Claude Guthrie, in the early XX century. As experimental subjects, the experimenter chose dogs, he attached the donor head to the body of a healthy and full-bodied animal. During the operation, the scientist managed to restore blood circulation. He also noted that the donor's head moved with the tongue, nostrils and fixed the pupils' movements. However, it was not successful to call this experiment - the two-headed animal, received as a result of transplantation, died. Repeat the experience of Guthrie after about half a century decided two Russian scientists - AG Konevsky and V. Demikhov. The first of these conducted a similar transplant almost by accident, and the second devoted a lot of time to this experiment. V. Demikhov was also practiced on dogs, having developed his own system of suturing blood vessels. In total, in the study, he sewed 20 puppies to the bodies of adult dogs, and one of the animals lived almost a month after transplantation.
Dr. R. White's Experience
In 1970, a group of scientists from the University of Keysie (USA), under the guidance of Dr. Robert White, began preparations for a new interesting experiment. The scientist decided to sew the severed head of one animal to the decapitated body of another in the world. His research White decided to spend on monkeys. It is worth noting that in all previous experiments, the operation for a head transplant was carried out by attaching a donor head to the body of a complete individual, resulting in two-headed animals. Surgical intervention on a new method was carried out in the 1970s. As a result of the experiment, the experimental animal survived for about 1.5 days, but it should be noted that during the operation it was not possible to connect the spinal cord and the brain. Because of this, the monkey could not control the body, while her head showed active vital activity.
Successful head transplantation has already been carried out!
Assessing the world experience of the XX century on operations with a head transplantation the conclusions can be made disappointing. And yet not so long ago it was proved that such a transplantation with a positive outcome is possible. This sensational discovery was made in 2002. Japanese scientists have developed a technology that made it possible to successfully transplant the head to donor bodies using laboratory rats as experimental ones. Innovation is the use of low temperatures (in which there is no death of neurons) and a special method of connecting nerve tissues. In the course of experiments, head transplantation was successfully performed with preservation of the full motor activity of the body. After some time similar experiments were conducted in Germany.
Is it possible to transplant a person's head?
Having achieved positive results in experiments involving animals, many scientists dream of trying to conduct a similar operation on a person. The famous surgeon of the highest level Sergio Canavero as early as 2013 officially announced his intention to perform such a transplant. It's hard to believe, but many people from around the globe have responded to the offer to become "guinea pigs." And meanwhile, if the head transplant, as planned today, will be carried out in 2017, the first patient of Dr. Canavere will be a Russian with a rare genetic disease. The surgeon argues that the chances of success are big enough, otherwise he would not have undertaken to conduct such an operation.
Valery Spiridonov is a Russian volunteer
The first head transplant should be carried out in 2017 to a resident of Russia. Valery Spiridonov literally dreams about such a transplantation all his conscious life. Today, a person ready to part with the head in the truest sense of the word, for 30 years, and this already makes it unique. When Valery turned 1 year old, the doctors diagnosed him: the syndrome Verding-Hoffmann - a very rare disease, in which patients usually do not live up to 20 years. However, this man not only survived, but also graduated with honors from the school, then the university, and now he successfully works as a programmer. The problem is only that throughout his conscious life Valery is chained to a wheelchair and weakening every year, today he can lift only a cup of tea or a computer mouse. Transplantation with the opportunity to start life in a new body is a chance not only to improve the quality of life of this patient, but also to save his life in the literal sense of the word. Valery prepares for the upcoming intervention, learns how the head transplant is performed, and regularly talks to other topics with Dr. Sergio Canavero.
Prospects for the transplantation of the body / head
The academic world community is optimistic. If you turn to history, then once the transplantation of internal organs was considered an almost unreal procedure. But as progress does not stand still, modern technologies allow such operations to be performed today around the world with an enviable regularity. It is possible that in the near future a head transplant will also become an "ordinary" phenomenon. Once the medicine has mastered this variant of transplantation, a treatment option for a wide variety of diseases will appear. Transplanted head, you can save not only a person with serious genetic diseases, but also cancer patients. As a donor material, it is planned to use the bodies of patients with good physiological parameters, whose brain has died. It is possible that it is the transplantation of the head that is the key to eternal life and immortality.
Cost of operation
A question that worries many: how much does a head transplant cost? Since the first such operation is only planned for the near future, the exact price of this service so far can not be named. According to preliminary assessment of specialists, the cost of this transplantation is slightly less than 13 million dollars. Of course, there is no such amount for the patient waiting for intervention. Today, Dr. Canavero helps him raise the necessary money. He published a book dedicated to his research, investors are also involved in this project. It is expected that the operation will last about 36 hours.
Ethical issues and possible problems
The very idea of head transplantation is not pleasant to representatives of many religious faiths and just to highly moral citizens. This operation literally violates all the laws of the universe and is highly unnatural - say its opponents. However, among ordinary people there are a lot of those who place high hopes on the successful development of this medical method. We will believe that no circumstances will interfere with the transplantation, and very soon the whole world will learn how the head transplant has passed to the person.