Is a human head transplant possible ?

[Saru 8,457]

A prominent neurosurgeon believes that transplanting a human head is now actually a viable procedure.

Dr Sergio Canavero believes that the technology now exists that will allow surgeons to carry out the Frankenstein-style procedure, which has been tested out on animals since 1970.

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[seeder 31,266]

Weird and freaky, but even if eventually possible, I wonder if the brain wont naturally deteriorate anyway, like eyesight does once you're over 40...a lot of old people have serious memory issues, dementia etc, perhaps the brain, irrespective of what body it runs, only has so long to work too?

[Mindscanner 15]

I want my new young head please but keep my brain though! and how much? lol

[libstaK 6,401]

Oh goodie so I can try out a new head?

Oh wait ...

[232 54]

Doesn't really touch upon things such as the donor body rejecting the new head (or vice versa????). Also doesn't mention if the donor body must still be alive for this to work? Which would bring on another whole set of problems (laws, ethics, etc).

And lastly, what about the psychological after effects of such a procedure on a human if such an operation were to work? Can't imagine this will ever go forward on humans. Nor should it IMO.

No surprise he is having trouble getting funding.

Edited July 2, 2013 by 232

[mfrmboy 121]

How about all the poor animals this has been tried out on.

I would think there is someone somewhere doing these type of experiments on humans.

Imagine the horrible things that are being done.

[questionmark 11,371]

Nice way to put the fact that we are talking about a body transplant... not really a head transplant.

[27vet 62]

Mind uploading is another interesting theory. Before your body dies, your mind is uploaded to a supercompeter. It is then installed in a new body grown from stem cells. But what if you install the same mind into two or more bodies?

Edited July 2, 2013 by 27vet

[Grandpa Greenman 10,380]

I could see some good coming out of fixing a damaged spinal cord, but putting a head on a body. I think I'll pass.

[BiffSplitkins 4,539]

This could cure the world's butterface epidemic.

[Doctor Night 22]

I wonder how big the scar would be......

[deslin 11]

Hope too many don't lose their heads after reading this story..

Heads will roll if someone is allowed to legally try this..

ok I'm done lol

[pallidin 10,953]

Right. This is more of a "body transplant" than a head transplant.

I think the term "head transplant" is often(and inappropriately) used just because the severed head is moved to the new body right next to it, as opposed to the new body being moved to the head.

Also, since the "human identity" is presumed to reside wholly in the "head", by definition it's a body transplant I would think.

However, there are those whom consider "Chakras" to be an integral part of the human, of which 4-5 of the 7 chakras are considered to be below the human head.

Edited July 2, 2013 by pallidin

[freetoroam 40,848]

From link:

Dr Sergio Canavero believes that the technology now exists that will allow surgeons to carry out the Frankenstein-style procedure, which has been tested out on animals since 1970.

In 1970 Robert White successfully transplanted the head of a rhesus monkey onto the body of a second rhesus, and Dr Canavero, a member of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group, has proposed using a similar method.

Really? If this has been going on since the 70`s, why are we not discussing arrests being made instead? How many Frankenstein backstreet labs are there out there?

Maybe police should have a look at some of these places, just to see if they can account for any of the thousands of "missing" persons on the books.

[paperdyer 1,589]

Doesn't really touch upon things such as the donor body rejecting the new head (or vice versa????). Also doesn't mention if the donor body must still be alive for this to work? Which would bring on another whole set of problems (laws, ethics, etc).

And lastly, what about the psychological after effects of such a procedure on a human if such an operation were to work? Can't imagine this will ever go forward on humans. Nor should it IMO.

No surprise he is having trouble getting funding.

While I agree with the ethics dilemma. However, wouldn't this be a way to help completely paralyzed people? You could use death row inmates that have confessed or there is no doubt they were guilty and give the body a new use. In this case, wouldn't the DNA for reproductive purposes still be that of the donor?

[paperdyer 1,589]

I wonder how big the scar would be......

Probably be a circle around the neck and down the back a bit.

[Xanthurion2 223]

Would this be for the benefit of the head or the body? And what happens to the other person?

[StarMountainKid 9,494]

Wouldn't the doner body have to be alive for the transplant to be successful? I suppose if someone were brain dead their body could be used.

I once read a story where in some future society prisoners were used for body parts.

Edited July 2, 2013 by StarMountainKid

[freetoroam 40,848]

Can you imagine if the only compatible head for Sven`s body is from Mr NgMumbi?

[trancelikestate 155]

how long before its a hollywood fad to get a new body done

[Bendy Demon 5,217]

Aren't we forgetting something?

What about the spinal cord? It's not like we have refined the process of reconnecting the nerves and all that.

Sure, we may have transplanted the heads of monkeys but all that was done was to connect blood veins, not nerves so essentially the monkey was paralyzed (assuming the experiment was real to begin with).

Each brain and its nerve mapping (my term) is unique to the body it has to control so even IF we were to reconnect the spinal cord and all the nerves, the brain would have to remap everything and basically reconfigure itself for a body with different "settings".

[Mikko-kun 1,026]

Mind uploading is another interesting theory. Before your body dies, your mind is uploaded to a supercompeter. It is then installed in a new body grown from stem cells. But what if you install the same mind into two or more bodies?

It's just data duplication, unless you attach your brain to a comp and sustain your brain.

[F3SS 19,467]

This is weird. I seen the monkey head transplant on Dark Matters and it was freaky, albeit a dramatization. There are certain things that just should be left alone and it is by all means a body transplant.

Imagine what fears and pains that monkey was feeling. I think the only thing freakier than a human head transplant is the idea of the Human Centipede.

[kobolds 91]

"The greatest technical hurdle to such endeavour is of course the reconnection of the donor's and recipient's spinal cords,"

Both heads would have to be removed at the same time, and reconnected within an hour.

bull****

u want to reconnect circulatory system, nerve system , trachea , etc... all these within an hour . and here he said the greatest technical hurdle reconnect spinnal cords ? someone lend him a glue

an average heart transplant procedure take 4 to 12 hours or longer .

Edited July 3, 2013 by kobolds

[Likely Guy 24,134]

Wouldn't the doner body have to be alive for the transplant to be successful? I suppose if someone were brain dead their body could be used.

I once read a story where in some future society prisoners were used for body parts.

It's not a story, it's called 'China'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_transplantation_in_the_People's_Republic_of_China