All This Is That: head transplant

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Monday, July 11, 2016

Head Transplants

by Jack Brummet, Replacement Parts Ed.

Does the United States suffer from transplant envy? From the New York Times, 6/11/2016:

"A leading Chinese orthopedic surgeon continues to believe that 'full-body' transplants are the next big thing in medicine, despite worldwide skepticism about both the science and the ethics. The plan for Dr. Ren Xiaoping of Harbin Medical University calls for removing both heads (the deceased donor's and the live recipient's), connecting the blood vessels, stabilizing the new neck, and "bath[ing]" spinal-cord nerve endings chemically so they will connect. (Critics say it is impossible to 'connect' spinal-cord nerves.) According to a June New York Times dispatch, doctors regularly denounce China's ethical laxities (though Chinese officials term such denunciations "envy" at China's achievements)."

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