X-Message-Number: 14900
From: 
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2000 10:14:44 EST
Subject: hospital cryonics

Doug Skrecky (#14894) wrote, in part:

In Message #14887 "Marta Sandberg" wrote:

>>On the other hand, almost all Western countries have a 
>>system in place to harvest and preserve donor organs....
>>Wouldn t it be great if we could coat-tail on existing medical 
>>superstructure? Available anywhere and any time?

>  I'd thought this idea had some merit as well. Alcor is after all 
>concentrating on head freezing. Seems there is some problem with 
>organs from bodies loaded with cryoprotectant being unsuitable for
>transplantation.
  >To make this work one would have to remove the head/brain from the 
>body before loading with cryoprotectant. For some reason there 
>appears to be no interest in this possibility from either Alcor, or CI.

First, I remind readers that cryonics patients are seldom good organ or 
tissue donors, even if they die in a hospital, because they are almost always 
old or/and sick. The best donors are otherwise healthy people rendered 
brain-dead by accidents.

Second, we already do, to a limited extent, benefit from the transplant 
customs. One of our standard forms is a donor form (whole body donor) under 
the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act. When hospital personnel see this, it tends 
to promote cooperation, and packing in ice is then seen as routine. 

Anything that seems to fit accepted practice is helpful. That is also another 
reason why use of funeral directors for initial procedures can be 
helpful--they are part of the Establishment.

On the other hand, Marta's hope--cryonics as part and parcel of hospital 
routine--is unfortunately a distant one. Hospital directors have to 
pre-approve medical procedures, and they have to satisfy lawyers and 
insurance companies. Even then, the expense would probably be mostly 
prohibitive--until and unless it can be shown that "mercy freezing" will save 
suffering AND money and will not constitute euthanasia. 

Robert Ettinger
Cryonics Institute
Immortalist Society
http://www.cryonics.org

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