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17-11-2017, 02:37 PM
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World's first human head transplant successfully carried out

No it wasn't! It was on a corpse.

The world's first human head transplant has been carried out on a corpse in China in an 18-hour operation that showed it was possible to successfully reconnect the spine, nerves and blood vessels.

'an operation on a live human will take place "imminently".

The operation was carried out by a team led by Dr Xiaoping Ren, who last year successfully grafted a head onto the body of a monkey.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2...fully-carried/

I have big big reservations about this.
An internal organ transplant that can't be seen is one thing ... but the idea of a head or body I confess, I find a little repulsive and creepy.
When would somebody need a new head or body?
Cybernetics or prosthetic limbs I can understand better but not this.

(Not sure where I should have put this. Health? Discussions?)
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17-11-2017, 02:48 PM
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Re: World's first human head transplant successfully carried out

thought Frankinstein had the first head transplant
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17-11-2017, 02:55 PM
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Re: World's first human head transplant successfully carried out

I'm not sure about this, what exactly are the needs for it to start with ? Ok I've got cancer I guess I could have my head transplanted Onto a healthy body but what's to say a few cancer cells wouldn't be carried along with my head ?

Many illnesses would be like that IMO

It's all very odd to me, spending time and money on things we might not need when people are dying of things that with a little more of a push might be curable.
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17-11-2017, 03:19 PM
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Re: World's first human head transplant successfully carried out

Possible applications:
quadriplegia or loss of all four limbs, perhaps. Extensive damage to the body, especially the lower spinal cord.

Technology:
It is perfectly possible to connect blood vessels, muscles, tendons and ligaments, for example. As for minor nerve connections, I'm sure that's possible too.
I think the major problems would be the cranial nerves and certainly the spinal cord. The problem here is that how do you ensure that each of the millions of minuscule nerve fibres within the spinal cord would connect with the appropriate nerve fibre in the other side of the connection? The only possible strategy would be to connect appropriate known areas of the cord and trust to luck for the smaller fibres that cannot be determined.
However, I have heard that nerve connections can eventually adapt their function to control or sense the intended location in the body; a sort of 'learning process', although I confess that I don't know very much about that.

I think this Chinese research could prove to be very interesting and, hopefully, could have many beneficial applications and outcomes.
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17-11-2017, 09:40 PM
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Re: World's first human head transplant successfully carried out

This is interesting and re-opens and old Philosophy conundrum. It runs thus:

2 people are laid side by side on operating tables

One is Mark, the other is Luke.

Mark's body is dying of various condition but his brain is fine

Luke's body is fine but his brain is dying.

The surgeon transplants Mark's brain into Luke's head.

The question is. . . .

Is Luke still Luke or is Luke now Mark?

What makes Luke, Luke? Is it the brain with all it's memories?
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17-11-2017, 10:17 PM
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Re: World's first human head transplant successfully carried out

Originally Posted by Realist ->
This is interesting and re-opens and old Philosophy conundrum. It runs thus:

2 people are laid side by side on operating tables

One is Mark, the other is Luke.

Mark's body is dying of various condition but his brain is fine

Luke's body is fine but his brain is dying.

The surgeon transplants Mark's brain into Luke's head.

The question is. . . .

Is Luke still Luke or is Luke now Mark?

What makes Luke, Luke? Is it the brain with all it's memories?
I'd say it's the brain.

And also, the finished product would have the choice of being called Lark or Muke!
 

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