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Introduction
Why exactly this topic? I believe that a human head transplant is a rather important scientific discovery, because with its help one can get closer to understanding the nature of consciousness and, along the way, heal a certain number of paralyzed people. But before chopping off people's heads, you first need to aim at animals. Fortunately, a couple of craftsmen have already carried out a number of such operations. We will talk about them today.
The genius of Soviet transplantology Demikhov operated in a damp basement - MK
Vladimir Demikhov and two-headed dog
One of the first, our compatriot Vladimir Demikhov made a breakthrough in the field of organ transplantation. The dude was very eager, as a student he designed the world's first artificial heart and then transplanted it into a dog. And it worked! True only for two hours. Nevertheless, influential people noticed the young talent and tried in every possible way to encourage the initiatives of the young genius. While working at the Institute of Experimental and Clinical Surgery, he performs a number of more important operations for the world community. On the dogs by itself. At first, he put a second heart in one of his favorite shepherd dogs, but not to say that the dog became twice as hardy as a result. Then the scientist managed more than once to successfully transplant a dog's heart, liver and even lung. But Demikhov's imagination knew no bounds. He was impatient to make a truly huge breakthrough - a head transplant.
Two-headed dogs of Vladimir Petrovich Demikhov • Terra-Z
But it looked far from what you imagine now. The scientist took the head of a small dog and sewed it onto the body of a large dog. It turned out pretty creepy.
At first, such chimeras lived for only a few days, but with the development of methods for stitching vessels, the maximum result reached a whole month.
Robert White and his monkeys
After the discoveries of Demikhov, scientists have repeatedly repeated his successes on dogs and even completely replaced the head of one dog with another. It was the turn of more complex animals, and the first volunteer to conduct such experiments was the American scientist Robert White. In 1970, the first monkey head transplant took place.
Monkey head transplanted
What did such operations look like? Scientists carefully separated all the blood vessels of the animal from the body, cauterized them so that the blood would not leak out, and then stitched them together as quickly as possible with the vessels on the new body. In the case of the monkeys, the operation was very successful. Scientists provided blood flow to the new head, and since the nerve endings of the head itself were not affected, the monkey showed signs of life - wagging its eyes, moving its mouth and even tried to bite one of the scientists. The truth about controlling the body itself was out of the question. The spinal cord has not yet been sutured.
Sergio Canavero announced a successful head transplant in a monkey
Sergio Canavero and Russian programmer
But one ambitious Italian scientist thinks he has learned. The idea really looks promising. In theory, if all the nerves, spinal cord and blood vessels are sewn together properly, nothing should change and the brain will be able to perfectly control the new body. But Sergio plans his experiments in public. He came up with a new way of reuniting neurons. During the operation, polyethylene glycol should be used, which in theory will serve as a biological glue for the spinal cord. And in general, Sergio has been doing well so far.
Sergio Canavero conducts major experiment in preparation for head transplant surgery - Naked Science
We have all heard about the paralyzed 30-year-old Russian, Valeria Spiridonov, to whom an Italian was supposed to have a head transplant in 2017. So, he was either boarded, or he moved out himself. But do not be upset about the poor programmer, he moved to the USA, got married and became a father. So maybe it's for the best. Sergio's new experimental subject will be a Chinese, since it is the Celestial Empire that is currently funding the scientist's activities. What kind of person it will be is unclear. Surely some Chinese Gulag prisoner whom no one will even ask. Still, there is a possibility that Canavero's plan will work. In 2017, he already successfully transplanted the head of a corpse, connecting all the vessels and neurons. So we are waiting for news about a person with a new body or head. To be honest, what is the correct name. It's a strange topic all the same. Or maybe such a result of secret laboratory experiments is already wandering somewhere among us. Who knows…
Why exactly this topic? I believe that a human head transplant is a rather important scientific discovery, because with its help one can get closer to understanding the nature of consciousness and, along the way, heal a certain number of paralyzed people. But before chopping off people's heads, you first need to aim at animals. Fortunately, a couple of craftsmen have already carried out a number of such operations. We will talk about them today.
The genius of Soviet transplantology Demikhov operated in a damp basement - MK
Vladimir Demikhov and two-headed dog
One of the first, our compatriot Vladimir Demikhov made a breakthrough in the field of organ transplantation. The dude was very eager, as a student he designed the world's first artificial heart and then transplanted it into a dog. And it worked! True only for two hours. Nevertheless, influential people noticed the young talent and tried in every possible way to encourage the initiatives of the young genius. While working at the Institute of Experimental and Clinical Surgery, he performs a number of more important operations for the world community. On the dogs by itself. At first, he put a second heart in one of his favorite shepherd dogs, but not to say that the dog became twice as hardy as a result. Then the scientist managed more than once to successfully transplant a dog's heart, liver and even lung. But Demikhov's imagination knew no bounds. He was impatient to make a truly huge breakthrough - a head transplant.
Two-headed dogs of Vladimir Petrovich Demikhov • Terra-Z
But it looked far from what you imagine now. The scientist took the head of a small dog and sewed it onto the body of a large dog. It turned out pretty creepy.
At first, such chimeras lived for only a few days, but with the development of methods for stitching vessels, the maximum result reached a whole month.
Robert White and his monkeys
After the discoveries of Demikhov, scientists have repeatedly repeated his successes on dogs and even completely replaced the head of one dog with another. It was the turn of more complex animals, and the first volunteer to conduct such experiments was the American scientist Robert White. In 1970, the first monkey head transplant took place.
Monkey head transplanted
What did such operations look like? Scientists carefully separated all the blood vessels of the animal from the body, cauterized them so that the blood would not leak out, and then stitched them together as quickly as possible with the vessels on the new body. In the case of the monkeys, the operation was very successful. Scientists provided blood flow to the new head, and since the nerve endings of the head itself were not affected, the monkey showed signs of life - wagging its eyes, moving its mouth and even tried to bite one of the scientists. The truth about controlling the body itself was out of the question. The spinal cord has not yet been sutured.
Sergio Canavero announced a successful head transplant in a monkey
Sergio Canavero and Russian programmer
But one ambitious Italian scientist thinks he has learned. The idea really looks promising. In theory, if all the nerves, spinal cord and blood vessels are sewn together properly, nothing should change and the brain will be able to perfectly control the new body. But Sergio plans his experiments in public. He came up with a new way of reuniting neurons. During the operation, polyethylene glycol should be used, which in theory will serve as a biological glue for the spinal cord. And in general, Sergio has been doing well so far.
Sergio Canavero conducts major experiment in preparation for head transplant surgery - Naked Science
We have all heard about the paralyzed 30-year-old Russian, Valeria Spiridonov, to whom an Italian was supposed to have a head transplant in 2017. So, he was either boarded, or he moved out himself. But do not be upset about the poor programmer, he moved to the USA, got married and became a father. So maybe it's for the best. Sergio's new experimental subject will be a Chinese, since it is the Celestial Empire that is currently funding the scientist's activities. What kind of person it will be is unclear. Surely some Chinese Gulag prisoner whom no one will even ask. Still, there is a possibility that Canavero's plan will work. In 2017, he already successfully transplanted the head of a corpse, connecting all the vessels and neurons. So we are waiting for news about a person with a new body or head. To be honest, what is the correct name. It's a strange topic all the same. Or maybe such a result of secret laboratory experiments is already wandering somewhere among us. Who knows…
