Human head transplantation and the challenges ahead
Neurosafari On November 17, 2017, a report was published in the international media about the successful transplantation of the first human head on a corpse [1-3]. It is claimed that in this 18-hour surgery, the spinal cord, nerves and vessels of the neck were transplanted from one human body to another human being, and this surgery was successful according to the responses observed in the organs with electrical stimulation of the central nervous system. The news was published by the Italian surgeon and scientist Sergio Cannavaro, and the surgery was done in cooperation with the medical team in China. This controversial news has led to the publication of numerous news reports by reputable scientific media, unfortunately, most of them are with a negative bias and by assigning offensive titles to them [5-7]. In this article, I will try to deal with various aspects of head transplant in humans without bias and with a scientific approach, such as the possibility of doing it and its scientific, philosophical and ethical discussions. First, let’s read the interesting words of Sergio Cannavaro on the day of the news interview, which has created a recent controversy:
“Nature has imposed its laws on us for too long.
“We are born, we grow, we grow old and we die.
Humans have evolved for millions of years and 110 billion people have lost their lives in this life process.
It was a genocide on a massive scale.
We have entered a historical period to take our destiny into our own hands.
This will change everything. It will change your success on every level.
The primary connection of the human head to the human face has been realized. The surgery took 18 hours and the article will be published in the next few days.
Everyone said it was impossible, but the surgery was successful” [3].
From the point of view of a neuroscience researcher, this courage and having such a spirit is admirable and praiseworthy in itself. Basically, “the job of a scientist is to do the impossible” even if it never leads to final success. In this article, I will try to take a critical look at this issue with a completely scientific approach, without love, hatred and jealousy common in scientific environments. First, the desired challenge is presented in each case, and then possible solutions are mentioned after the ### sign.
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