X-Message-Number: 3182
From: 
Date: Mon, 26 Sep 94 22:12:47 EDT
Subject: SCI. CRYONICS Taylor's questions

I can offer quick answers, of possible usefulness, to some of Ian Taylor's
seven questions.

1. If the question is whether noticeable changes occur during storage in
liquid nitrogen, the answer is very close to an unequivocal negative. If the
question is whether  structural changes occur during the process of
preparation and cooling, the answer of course is yes--but relatively few and
relatively small changes under favorable circumstances.

2. The techniques currently used by the Cryonics Institute, applied to sheep
heads, have been and are being reproduced and evaluated by Ukrainian
cryobiologist Dr. Yuri Pichugin and electron microscopist Prof. Gennadi
Zhegunov. Full reports (with a selection of photos) have been and will be
published as they become available in THE IMMORTALIST. The latest and
penultimate report of the first project indicates "very good" (although of
course not perfect) results in general, with no cracking at either the naked
eye or microscopic level and generally good preservation of structure at all
levels, as I interpret the reports. 

Some questions remain to be clarified, and we also want comments by several
competent independent parties before making any definitive claims, but as far
as I know, from the information  I currently have, these are the best results
so far reported with mammalian brains, after rewarming from liquid nitrogen
temperatures.

4. I believe the current total in suspension is about 50 humans, of whom the
Cryonics Institute has thirteen, all full body.

6. Cryonics Institute procedures are available in Europe through English
mortician Barry Albin, F.A. Albin  & Sons, London. I believe Alcor offers
services through a British subsidiary. 

Robert Ettinger

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=3182