X-Message-Number: 11753
Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 23:56:23 -0400
From: "Stephen W. Bridge" <>
Subject: Cryonics patient organs

To CryoNet
From Steve Bridge
May 14, 1999
 
In reply to:        Message #11746
                    From: "Thomas Nord" <>
                    Subject: Organs?
                    Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 02:16:06 +0100
 
>I got this in response to my side:
 
[to your "site," I think you mean.  A "site" is a location.  A "Web site"
is a location on the World Wide Web.
 
>"A chance at immortality, or for future governments to harvest organs
>from frozen ancestors...?"
>I couldn't answer. Comments?
 
You got a responder with no imagination.
 
This year, Harvard medical researchers cloned dog bladders.  I think we
will see a human patient's own cells being used to clone organs for self-
transplant within 15 years, possibly sooner.  No rejection; no damage to
repair; nice young organs that will last for decades more.  By the time we
have the technology to repair cryonics patients, we will have a lot more
technologies than cloning to repair organs within the body.  Cadaver
organs will not be used for any transplants at all after the next 40-50
years, and their use will again be considered barbaric.
 
Even more, the organs of frozen patients would in most cases be in worse
shape than fresh cadaver organs.  Today transplanted organs primarily come
from people who have died of trauma or sudden brain injury from aneurysm,
etc.  Frozen patients mostly die from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, etc.
and their diseased, damaged organs would not be suitable for transplant
under any circumstances.  The freezing process itself adds other damage
and the organs will be filled with chemicals that must be removed.  It
would require years of trouble, research, and expense before they could be
used on "living" patients.
 
Harvesting frozen organs from cryonics patients would be the clumsiest,
most expensive, least effective method to repair damaged organs -- so it
will not be used.  It will not even be researched.
 
It is possible that society will change in some way that those cryonics
patients who *could* be repaired and revived will not be.  But there will
be no economic or societal reason to turn cryonics patients into either
organ banks or slaves.
 
>Would You like a better chance than Jesus to return?
 
I must say I don't like this line either.  If you want to stick it on your
own personal e-mail, that is up to you.  But I would prefer not to have it
confusing people who want to look at CryoNet.
 
Like others, I think that -- if we can ever PROVE that suspended animation
is real and workable -- the Catholic Church and many other churches will
approve of cryonics.  Let's not put them off with our attitudes toward
religion.  This is a technology and should be available to anyone.
 
Steve Bridge

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