Nowadays, 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. The transplantology section deserves special attention. Stories about preserving limbs and replacing individual organs with donor ones are gradually becoming commonplace. It is possible that very soon the world's first head transplant will be performed. What are the chances of success in carrying out such an operation and how can you evaluate it from the ethical side of the issue?
Two-headed dogs
The possibility of body transplantation would allow to give eternal life to any organism. It is not surprising that research in this direction has been conducted for a long time. And yet, a head transplant operation is very complicated. It is believed that the first scientist in the world to decide on it was Charles Claude Guthrie from America, at the beginning of the 20th century. The experimenter chose dogs as experimental animals; he donated a donor head to the body of a healthy and full-fledged animal. During the operation, the scientist was able to restore blood circulation. He also noted that the donor head moved its tongue, nostrils and recorded the movements of the pupils. However, to call this experiment successful did not work - a two-headed animal obtained as a result of transplantation died. About half a century later, two Russian scientists, A. G. Konevsky and V. Demikhov, decided to repeat Guthrie’s experiment. The first of them conducted such a transplant almost by accident, and the second devoted a lot of time to this experiment. V. Demikhov also practiced on dogs, having developed his own system for stitching blood vessels. In total, as part of the study, he sewed 20 heads of puppies to the bodies of adult dogs, and one of the animals lived almost a month after transplantation.
The Experience of Dr. R. White
In the 1970s, a group of scientists from Casey University (USA), led by Dr. Robert White, began preparations for a new interesting experiment. The scientist decided to be the first in the world to sew the cut off head of one animal to the decapitated body of another. White decided to conduct his research on monkeys. It is worth noting that in all previous experiments, a head transplant operation was carried out by attaching a donor head to the body of a full-fledged individual, resulting in two-headed animals. Surgery by the new technique was carried out in the 1970s. As a result of the experiment, the experimental animal lived for about 1.5 days, however, it should be noted that during the operation it was not possible to connect the spinal cord and brain. Because of this, the monkey could not control the body, while her head showed active life.
Successful head transplantation already done!
Assessing the world experience of the XX century on operations with a head transplant, conclusions can be made disappointing. And yet, not so long ago, it was proved that such a transplant with a positive outcome is possible. This sensational discovery was made in 2002. Japanese scientists have developed a technology through which they successfully transplanted their heads to donor bodies using laboratory rats as experimental animals. The innovation is the use of low temperatures (at which neurons do not die) and a special method of connecting nerve tissues. During the experiments, a head transplant was successfully performed while maintaining the full motor activity of the body. After some time, similar experiments were carried out 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 humans. The famous surgeon of the highest level, Sergio Canavero, back in 2013, officially announced his intention to perform such a transplant. It's hard to believe, but many people from all over the world have responded to the proposal to become “experimental”. Meanwhile, if a head transplant is planned today, will be carried out in 2017, the first patient of Dr. Canavero will be a Russian with a rare genetic disease. The surgeon claims that the chances of success are quite large, otherwise he would not have undertaken the operation.
Valery Spiridonov - Russian volunteer
The first head transplant should be carried out in 2017 to a resident of Russia. Valery Spiridonov literally dreams of such a transplantation all his conscious life. Today, a person who is ready to part with his head in the literal sense of the word is already 30 years old, and this already makes him unique. When Valery was 1 year old, doctors diagnosed him: Verding-Hoffmann syndrome is a very rare disease in which patients usually do not even live up to 20 years. However, this man not only survived, but also graduated with honors from school, then university, and is currently working as a programmer. The only problem is that throughout his entire conscious life Valery is confined to a wheelchair and weakens every year, today he can only raise a cup of tea or a computer mouse. A transplant with the opportunity to start life in a new body is a chance not only to improve the quality of life of a given patient, but also to save his life in the literal sense of the word. Valery prepares for the upcoming intervention, finds out how the head transplant takes place, and regularly talks about other topics with Dr. Sergio Canavero.
Prospects for body / head transplantation
The learned world community is optimistic. If we turn to history, then once the transplantation of internal organs was considered an almost unrealistic procedure. But since progress does not stand still, modern technologies allow performing similar operations today around the world with enviable regularity. It is possible that in the near future, a head transplant will also become a “normal” phenomenon. As soon as medicine has mastered this option of transplantation, a treatment option for a wide variety of diseases will appear. By replanting the head, one can save not only a person with serious genetic diseases, but also cancer patients. It is planned to use the bodies of patients with good physiological parameters whose brain has died as donor material. It is possible that transplantation of the head is the key to eternal life and immortality.
Operation cost
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 cannot yet be named. According to preliminary estimates by experts, the cost of this transplant is just under $ 13 million. Of course, a patient awaiting intervention does not have a similar amount. Today, Dr. Canavero himself helps him raise the necessary money. He released a book dedicated to his research, and investors are also involved in this project. The operation is expected to last about 36 hours.
Ethics and possible issues
Representatives of many religious faiths and simply highly moral citizens do not like the idea of head transplantation. This operation literally violates all the laws of the universe and is highly unnatural, say its opponents. However, among ordinary people there are many who have high hopes for the successful development of this medical method. We believe that no circumstances will interfere with transplantation, and very soon the whole world will know how a person’s head transplant took place.