Head transplantation in humans: what does science have to say about it?

A medical possibility that is no longer a matter of science fiction.

The first human head transplant is scheduled to take place in December 2017. human head transplant is scheduled for December 2017..

Background

Despite the fact that we are in times of great change, it is difficult to believe that it is actually possible to transplant the head of one human being into the body of another.

However, already in the twentieth century several scientists investigated the matter. The first was the Soviet scientist Vladimir Demijov who, in 1954, transplanted the head and legs of a human being into the body of another human being. transplanted the head and front legs of a puppy onto the body of a full-grown adult German shepherd.. The resulting dog survived less than a week.

Subsequently, some Cleveland researchers, led by Robert J. White and inspired by Demijov's work, transplanted the head of one monkey onto the body of another. In this case the result of the intervention was quite successful, as the monkey was able to smell, taste, hear and observe the world. the monkey was able to smell, taste, hear and observe the world around it. around it. However, on the other hand, the monkey was paralyzed from the neck down. As in the first case, the monkey barely survived for two weeks.

Finally, a Chinese researcher named Xiaoping Ren performed a similar experiment with rats, which managed to survive one day.

What does the operation consist of?

It has been stipulated that the operation will last about 36 hours and will involve more than 100 surgeons.. In addition, the operation is expected to cost around 11 million dollars.

The aim of the operation is none other than to to connect the head of one patient to the body of another.. An important fact is that the recipient will not be able to choose the body. Some sources reveal that someone who has suffered an accident or has been sentenced to death will be selected.

As for the specific details of the neurosurgery and although not much information has been released, it is known with certainty that first they will have to cut all the structures that connect the head with the patient's body, including the spinal cord, which contains some 20 million connections. The union that they will have to make to reestablish the connections with the new body will be carried out with the help of a chemical substance called polyethylene glycolwhich facilitates the reconstruction of both bones and nerve fibers.

Sergio Canavero, the Italian neurosurgeon who will direct the operation, says that two years are enough time to verify all the scientific calculations and to complete all the permits, including the approval of the intervention by various bioethics committees.

The attitude of the scientific community towards this intervention is divided into two main areas.. On the one hand, some researchers consider it to be a delirium of Canavero, whom they label as a madman. On the other hand, other scientists support it and believe that the intervention will represent a door to the future.

Characteristics of the body's receptor

Considering that the intervention has already been tested on animals with generally poor results, it is difficult to imagine that anyone would want to undergo it voluntarily.

Valeri Spiridonov is the name of a man suffering from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a severe genetic degenerative disease that prevents him from moving his limbs except for his hands and head. Generally, 50% of children born with the disease do not survive the first year of life. However, Spiridonov has already turned 30.

As he explains, the operation is his only way out: "I have to do it because I don't have many options. My decision is final, and I don't plan to change it," he says. The operation, if successful, could give him a body with which to perform functions such as walking and grasping, among other motor functions. and picking things up, among other motor functions.

Possible consequences

We are talking about a head transplant. Although there has not been much discussion about the impact and psychological psychological consequences that such an intervention may cause, I think it is important to mention some aspects and to raise some questions that may lead readers to reflect.

One of the aspects to be taken into account is that of the longevity of people. It is true that in recent decades the life expectancy of people has increased considerably. But how will it affect the whole world if some people live an average of 80 years and others, thanks to intervention, live 120 years? others, thanks to intervention, will live 120 years?What changes will be brought about in society by living longer?

The ethical debate comes into play

This is what the neurosurgeon Canavero points out, who is creating high expectations about the intervention: "We are one step away from prolonging life indefinitely, since I will be able to give an 80-year-old person a new body to live another 40 years".

On the other hand, there is also There is also some doubt about the selection of future recipients.. Canavero has stated that in principle the operation will only be performed on people who have no other option, people with diseases or pathologies that prevent them from moving normally. However, the neurosurgeon has also revealed that he already has 50 candidates willing to have their heads transplanted and that most of them are transsexuals. So, where do we draw the line, what criteria will be used to select one person over another, will these people be included in transplant waiting lists or will they follow an independent line?

Towards a future of a la carte body exchanges?

Another aspect of equal relevance is the psychological impact possibly caused by body switching for both the patient and his or her family and friends. This has been discussed and the neurosurgeon has stated that "the patient will undergo training with the help of psychologists. For at least six months, before the operation, he will wear glasses that will show his head with a new body". Will this training with glasses be enough to avoid psychological rejection? Will he end up like the first patient who had a hand transplanted in 1988 and two years later asked for it to be cut off? Will it be possible to overcome the psychological rejection of seeing oneself in a new body?

In relation to the psychological consequences, another piece of information revealed by Canavero is that in the event that the patient who has already undergone surgery decides to have children, their body cells will contain the DNA of the donor's body.. In other words, the children will be born genetically similar to the body but not to the head of the patient.

This could lead us to a world in which the children will not necessarily have the genes of the Biological parents.

A medical possibility that has to open a debate beyond the scientific.

In summary, I personally think it is important to ask some questions about the intervention and the changes it may bring to the whole planet. How these changes may influence people at both the nomothetic and ideographic levels.