Russian man to undergo world's first full head transplant

Russian man to undergo world's first full head transplant

Mr Spiridinov, from Russia, suffers from Werdnig Hoffman disease, a muscle wasting condition that seriously diminishes his physical capabilities and left him dependent on a wheelchair.

Now he has announced his intention to become the world’s first subject of a full head transplant, so that his brain can be attached to a healthy body.

Italian neuroscientist Dr Sergio Canavero claims he can complete the unprecedented procedure in less than a day.


The whole process, Dr Canavero says, is “90 per cent” guaranteed to succeed, though he admitted: “Of course there is a marginal risk. I cannot deny that."

Other doctors have expressed serious doubts, and, in particular, the likelihood that Mr Spiridinov’s brain will still be functional by the time the surgery is complete.

Mr Spiridinov, however, is more optimistic.

“If I have a chance of full body replacement I will get rid of the limits and be more independent”, he said.

Stage one involves cooling the patient and donor’s bodies in order to prevent the brain cells from dying during the operation.

Next, the neck is partially severed and the blood vessels from one body linked to the other with tubes.

Matthew Crocker, consultant neurosurgeon at St George’s Hospital, London, said every section of the operation has a grounding in current science and practice – at least in theory.

“Excluding blood vessels that supply blood to the brain then restoring them with tubes is very well recognised”, he told Sky News.

“Lowering the temperature of the whole body head and brain to between 10 and 20 degrees, usually around 15 to 17 degrees, is a very well recognised technique used for complex neurosurgery or cardiovascular surgery in which there is an expectation that the brain will be starved of its blood and oxygen supply for a substantial period."

Stage two sees the spinal cord cut with an extremely fine blade to minimise damage.

The donor head is then removed, placed on the recipient’s body, and the spinal cord fused back together again using polyethylene glycol, a compound used both in medicine and industrial manufacturing.

Mr Crocker said: “The idea of cutting the spinal cord sharply rather than bluntly has a little medical support. The only well recognised success with spinal cord injury surgery came from a man who had a stab injury rather than a blunt injury."




http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/03/22/russian-man-to-undergo-worlds-first-full-head-transplant/


What a fantastic opportunity for this man to have a functioning body and therefore a better life. It makes me feel a bit nauseous (there's something about beheadings that really don't agree with me) but it'll be fantastic if it works.

One question I'd like to ask though: if the operational procedure was the other way around - he had a healthy body but a mashed up head - would he still be 'him' if he had someone else's head and brain?

he will be dead within days if not hours.
if glueing the spinal cord back together was so easy then those with spinal cord injuries would be getting treated more effectively.

Now I am not a doctor, but I think the spinal cord is not just a single nerve, but a host of nerves going to various parts of the body.

I don't understand the mechanics of it all either and I'm dubious too. Hope it works though.

well...sooner or later it was going to be attempted....

I called it a head transplant too but I've been corrected and told it's actually a body transplant, from the patient's viewpoint.

If rejection occurs (sadly it will)   will it then be regarded as the head rejecting the body? Or t'other way round?

It's unlikely to work, I agree. But IF it does, and it could, then what a marvellous gift.

But my question still stands too; if you got someone else's head, would you still be you and like what you liked and would you still feel what you felt?

eddie wrote:It's unlikely to work, I agree. But IF it does, and it could, then what a marvellous gift.  

But my question still stands too; if you got someone else's head, would you still be you and like what you liked and would you still feel what you felt?

Nope. 'Course not!
The head is the crucial bit.
The head, is where it's at.

The head contains the memories, the thoughts, the soul ..... the whole essence of the person.
The body contains nowt.

Okay so it's the head that contains the essence - you mean the brain, I take it?

So what if Albert took his brain and put it in your head? If you looked at the finger on the body would you say "There's my finger" or would you say "There's Albert's finger?"

Albert would be saying, "There's my new finger"

Ben Reilly wrote:Albert would be saying, "There's my new finger"

Im serious. Who's finger would it be? Albert's or Jules'?

Jeez, what would Andrea Bormans body look like wearing Eds 'Hippo man' head.
X certificate. Would make Frankenstein look like James Bond.

Ah you remember hippo man? I like to bring him out on occasion. So glad someone else appreciates him HA.

eddie wrote:Russian man to undergo world's first full head transplant

Mr Spiridinov, from Russia, suffers from Werdnig Hoffman disease, a muscle wasting condition that seriously diminishes his physical capabilities and left him dependent on a wheelchair.

Now he has announced his intention to become the world’s first subject of a full head transplant, so that his brain can be attached to a healthy body.

Italian neuroscientist Dr Sergio Canavero claims he can complete the unprecedented procedure in less than a day.


The whole process, Dr Canavero says, is “90 per cent” guaranteed to succeed, though he admitted: “Of course there is a marginal risk. I cannot deny that."

Other doctors have expressed serious doubts, and, in particular, the likelihood that Mr Spiridinov’s brain will still be functional by the time the surgery is complete.

Mr Spiridinov, however, is more optimistic.

“If I have a chance of full body replacement I will get rid of the limits and be more independent”, he said.

Stage one involves cooling the patient and donor’s bodies in order to prevent the brain cells from dying during the operation.

Next, the neck is partially severed and the blood vessels from one body linked to the other with tubes.

Matthew Crocker, consultant neurosurgeon at St George’s Hospital, London, said every section of the operation has a grounding in current science and practice – at least in theory.

“Excluding blood vessels that supply blood to the brain then restoring them with tubes is very well recognised”, he told Sky News.

“Lowering the temperature of the whole body head and brain to between 10 and 20 degrees, usually around 15 to 17 degrees, is a very well recognised technique used for complex neurosurgery or cardiovascular surgery in which there is an expectation that the brain will be starved of its blood and oxygen supply for a substantial period."

Stage two sees the spinal cord cut with an extremely fine blade to minimise damage.

The donor head is then removed, placed on the recipient’s body, and the spinal cord fused back together again using polyethylene glycol, a compound used both in medicine and industrial manufacturing.

Mr Crocker said: “The idea of cutting the spinal cord sharply rather than bluntly has a little medical support. The only well recognised success with spinal cord injury surgery came from a man who had a stab injury rather than a blunt injury."




http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/03/22/russian-man-to-undergo-worlds-first-full-head-transplant/


What a fantastic opportunity for this man to have a functioning body and therefore a better life. It makes me feel a bit nauseous (there's something about beheadings that really don't agree with me) but it'll be fantastic if it works.

One question I'd like to ask though: if the operational procedure was the other way around - he had a healthy body but a mashed up head - would he still be 'him' if he had someone else's head and brain?

Has to be a fake story in my opinion, any other limb has been proved to work but not the head and who would want a new head anyway or a complete new body? NOBODY!
A new hand or arm or legs yes but not a new head or complete new body.
It's obviously bulls*it

Handy Andy wrote:Jeez, what would Andrea Bormans body look like wearing Eds 'Hippo man' head.
X certificate. Would make Frankenstein look like James Bond.

It's a funny thought but ridiculous lol.

eddie wrote:It's unlikely to work, I agree. But IF it does, and it could, then what a marvellous gift.  

But my question still stands too; if you got someone else's head, would you still be you and like what you liked and would you still feel what you felt?

you get someone elses body, not someone elses head. the body is a just a body, it has no sense of self in that respect

Dean if you had a brain transplant with say, your brother, and your brain died, would you have your brother's thoughts and feelings?

blackie333 wrote:

Handy Andy wrote:Jeez, what would Andrea Bormans body look like wearing Eds 'Hippo man' head.
X certificate. Would make Frankenstein look like James Bond.

It's a funny thought but ridiculous lol.

Ugly guys and girls would be killing good looking guys and girls and asking crooked surgeons to give them a transplant lol.

eddie wrote:Dean if you had a brain transplant with say, your brother, and your brain died, would you have your brother's thoughts and feelings?

your brain died, then you died

the brother or whoever has the living brain is the one revieving the transplant the other vessel is being used for parts as it's owner is dead.

eddie wrote:Im serious. Who's finger would it be? Albert's or Jules'?

A body without a living brain is merely "dead meat"...

And a vessel for what is contained therein..

The former owner of that body is no more.

The Devil, You Know wrote:
he will be dead within days if not hours.
if glueing the spinal cord back together was so easy then those with spinal cord injuries would be getting treated more effectively.

Now I am not a doctor, but I think the spinal cord is not just a single nerve, but a host of nerves going to various parts of the body.

AND imagine the headlines, once the news got out...

The operation was a success, but unfortunately the patient died..

So if you had someone else's brain, say Brian's brain...would you become Brian? That's what I'm asking?

Your memories that make you who you are, are contained wholly and solely in your brain...

Don't confuse the idea of "muscle memory" here, nor let the fact that the heart muscle has its own control centre, get in the way of thinking this through, as those so-called 'memories' are operating on an autonomic level (i.e. not involved with thinking, reasoning or reacting at a higher level..) -- so that, once the new donor body has lost it's old brain, those memories and experiences, feelings and emotions, that formed the old personality have died with it..        

Furthermore, if the body survived long enough after a head transplant, after a few months the body would eventually belong to the brain, at the rate that the body is constantly replacing the cells in its skin, muscles and organs.

That's what I'm getting to here.....if you had my brain transplanted in you, then you, would become me? You'd believe in fairies and a better world full of unicorns and you'd stop eating meat and you'd like who I like and etc etc

Now. Careful how you answer wolfie

If he has this done, he wants his head examined

nicko wrote:If he has this done,  he wants his head examined

Is no one going to take me seriously?

nicko wrote:If he has this done,  he wants his head examined

Hahahaha