Re: NEURO: Head Transplants"

Kathryn Aegis (k_aegis@mindspring.com)
Mon, 30 Aug 1999 21:28:13

Hal writes:
>But Reeve wouldn't benefit from the procedure, unless or until his current
>body begins to fail. And the new body, once headless, will presumably
>begin to deteriorate as well. Since he was reasonably athletic before
>his accident he probably had a pretty good body to start with. So it
>would be some time before it would make sense for him to switch to a new
>one.

This is not supported by medical fact. When someone becomes paralyzed, the clock begins ticking immediately. Complete immobility begins a rapid degeneration in muscles, tendons, and connective tissues. The athletic qualities of his body only shield him slightly from that.

Reeve's bestselling book details the onerous procedures he must undergo every day in order to preserve his musculature. Without these procedures, he would have only a year before the deterioration would be too advanced for him to be able to walk again. With these procedures, there is still no guarantee after a few years have lapsed.

Kathryn Aegis