X-Message-Number: 10463
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 10:45:17 -0400 (EDT)
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: Necessary Funds for Research

Thomas Donaldson suggests:

> So we started too small to support research, and still can barely do
> so. 

What nonsense. There is ample money available for research, if people
would choose to spend it. One Alcor member has a publicly stated net worth
of more than $300 million. That ought to pay for a few lab benches and
microscopes. We could continue down the list of wealthy members who choose
not to spend their money on research because they feel it is unnecessary
(they trust our friends in the future, I guess--or they don't have any
faith in our researchers here and now). If we double the number of people
signed up, presumably we double the number of millionaires who don't
support research. 

> Still, Alcor (the only society which openly lists its membership
> numbers) 

CryoCare has always, and will always, divulge its membership numbers. 
Currently, according to my records (which are not necessarily 
definitive--our primary source is our Secretary, Ben Best) we have 74 
members, and two patients cryopreserved. Two of our members changed their 
minds about wanting to be frozen by any organization. One signup is in 
progress. Two are pending. Three others are procrastinating. We made a 
conscious and painful decision to terminate some memberships because of 
long-term nonpayment of dues. (I believe Alcor went through a similar 
winnowing process.)

I hope this is specific enough for you, Thomas. All you had to do was 
ask--or check the back issues of CryoCare Update that are mailed to you.

> If we avoid any catastrophes, in 20 years, whether or not current
> research efforts take us very far, we'll probably be able to 
> support significantly MORE research 

Please tell me on what basis you make this statement. I see no lessons 
from the previous twenty years that would encourage me to believe this. 
Rather, I see two men (Kent and Faloon) who have chosen to spend, in one 
year, more money than has ever been spent on research in the history of 
cryonics. This constitutes a singularity. Extrapolating from a 
singularity does not seem very meaningful to me.

However, the picture may change in the near future. At the November 
conference sponsored by 21st Century Medicine, developments may be 
announced that will encourage some wealthy cryonicists to invest. We'll 
have to wait and see. If this occurs, once again it will be a result of 
the efforts of Kent and Faloon. It will not indicate some general 
longterm trend or common behavior among cryonicists. 

--Charles Platt

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