X-Message-Number: 16241
Date: Wed, 9 May 2001 11:25:55 -0400 (EDT)
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: UK

Today's CryoNet encourages people to check the Alcor web site, so I did.
I found this text:

"Alcor's team and facility in England, with over 15 certified Alcor
CryoTransport Technicians, is at the doorstep of Europe and is expected to
be our first line of defense in the event of any needs for CryoTransport
of Alcor Members living there, or traveling there. Outside of the U.S.,
Europe has the second largest number of Alcor members, and is more often
visited than any other area outside our own country. The capability in
England represents a major safety net for Alcor members."

Very nice! However, since about half of Alcor UK members are planning to
switch to CI, and many of the remaining members seem sincere about wanting
to shut down and sell the UK facility after their recent disputes with
Alcor in the USA, the above text from the Alcor web page seems a trifle
misleading and may need to be revised.

Also, while the web page does mention "prepayment" by overseas members, it
does not say that this payment can be delayed until legal death. In other
words, I found no mention of the British proposal to perform preliminary
work, including perfusion, in Britain, then air-ship the patient
accompanied by a wire-transfer of patient funds subsidized by a bridging
loan that the British people would obtain while waiting for their British
insurance to reimburse them. Apparently this arrangement is still not
acceptable to Alcor, in which case I see little chance of Alcor UK
remaining intact, and I would expect the dozen "defectors" to go to CI as
originally planned. This is unfortunate since in my personal opinion it
represents a potential loss of life of twelve people.

I regard the disintegration of Alcor UK as one of the saddest things to
happen in cryonics during the past decade, and I wish there were some sign
of a wholehearted desire to find a compromise solution.

--CP

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