A head transplant (or a body transplant, depending on whichever you’re getting), is deemed a foreseeable medical procedure by at least one neurosurgeon. Dr. Sergio Canavero of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group published a 2013 article whimsically entitled “HEAVEN: The head anastomosis venture Project outline for the first human head transplantation with spinal linkage (GEMINI)” in Surgical Neurology International, proposing the removal of the head from one person, attachment of the head to the decapitated body of another person, then reanimation of the resulting whole person.
The article can be accessed here: http://www.surgicalneurologyint.com
What’s more, in early February 2015, Dr. Canavero published a follow-up article in the “Surgical Neurological International” journal outlining the procedures and techniques for head transplantation. The procedures/techniques include super-cooling the head and body to deter cell death, hyper-clean cutting of the spinal cords to aid fusion of the head/body nerve fibers and inducing coma to prevent post-operative movement that might hinder healing.
Dr. Canavero believes the first successful human head transplant could occur as early as 2017, at an estimated cost of $13 million. Unfortunately, access to the 2015 article requires a paid subscription; I like you but not that much. Why bother to transplant heads/bodies? One could imagine several reasons but Dr. Canavero’s main goal is to prolong the lives of people whose bodies are too diseased or otherwise injured to sustain their lives.
People with muscle-wasting disorders, for example, could live longer, higher-quality lives if their heads were transplanted onto healthier bodies. Mind you, some notable American neurosurgeons believe otherwise. Some say it will never work due to all the problematic procedures and others believe we are far from the effective use of stem cells and techniques to successfully transplant human heads onto bodies. Still, others question the medical ethics of such a procedure.
Despite criticism, I like the way this Dr. Canavero thinks. His 2013 article describes the successful 1970 head transplant from one rhesus monkey to another. The recipient monkey lived “normally” and with no complications unless you count its death 8 days later. Plus, the old geezers among us remember that first heart transplant performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard on Louis Washkansky in 1967; Washkansky died of pneumonia 18 days later but the operation was deemed a success and a monumental step in heart transplantation.
Today, 2,000+ heart transplants are performed annually in the U. S. alone, with post-operative life spans as long as 30+ years. Who knows? Perhaps we’ll see successful head/body transplantation in our lifetimes. Of course, I wouldn’t want to be the first; you go first and I’ll hold your coat. To date, several people have already contacted Dr. Canavero about obtaining new bodies, though there are no head-takers yet.
By Kathy Catanzarite
Note from HandelontheLaw.com: This article is to be used as an educational guide only and should not be interpreted as a legal consultation. Readers of this article are advised to seek an attorney if a legal consultation is needed. Laws may vary by state and are subject to change, thus the accuracy of this information can not be guaranteed. Readers act on this information solely at their own risk. Neither the author, handelonthelaw.com, nor any of its affiliates shall have any liability stemming from this article.
