X-Message-Number: 21553
Date: Sun, 6 Apr 2003 13:45:34 -0400 (EDT)
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: trust
References: <>

> (Brian) wrote me privately on Jan. 10, 2003 reiterating the successful
> transplantation results from -50 degC that were reported at the Alcor
> conference.

Thanks Bob for graciously agreeing that your previous statement on this
topic was not quite correct.

To the person who asked me to post info about vitrification research:
First, it's not my research and I do not feel it's appropriate for me to
talk about it. Second, I am bound by a nondisclosure agreement anyway.
Therefore the best I can do is ask questions of anyone who purports to
know about it.

As for the more pertinent issue of applying "untested" methods to
cryopatients: Since all the people who make decisions on technical issues
at Alcor are signed up to be cryopreserved by Alcor, they have an obvious
incentive to verify that our methods are beneficial. For this reason (and
others) I have visited the lab many times where our vitrification solution
was developed, am well acquainted with the two principal researchers, and
have satisfied my own concerns. I assume that Alcor members are aware of
this situation, and trust us to protect their brains as we would wish to
protect our own. In the meantime we release as much information as we can,
pending the resolution of patent issues. The information has included the
brain micrographs which Bob complained were insufficient proof of the
vitrification solution. Of course I would like to provide more detailed
research results, but some brain micrographs are better than no brain
micrographs.

In any case CI may find itself in a similar situation, since I note its
most recent issue of The Immortalist places an embargo on revelations
about Yuri Pichugin's research, until patient issues have been dealt with.

Thus all members of cryonics organizations are required to trust the
organizations in the absence of full disclosure. Ironically (in view of
Bob's complaints) CI actually requires more trust from its members than
Alcor, because its protocol has not been as fully documented and its case
reports (with the exception of one from Ben Best) have included virtually
no details of procedures and their success or lack thereof. I'm sure this
will be viewed as yet another contentious claim, but it is self-evidently
true to anyone who has read Alcor News vs. The Immortalist.

--CP

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