X-Message-Number: 4566
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 1995 21:53:29 -0800
From:  (American Cryonics Society)
Subject: WHAT DUMB OL' MIKE DID!

The post which follows was written  prior to Mike's posing in answer to Guy
Gipson's comments on ACS-BPI contract cancellation.  I had thought enough
was said on the subject, and withheld the posting.  Since it appears this
subject is still alive, I am proceeding with what is, I realize, a late
response.  Accompanying this post is a more timely direct response to Steve
Bridge's post #4556.



I appreciate the interest Guy expresses in what are important questions to
someone contemplating enrolling in a suspension program.

First, Guy, please understand that neither BPI nor ACS have any obligation
to discuss their business on Cryonet.  ACS, as a membership organization
where our members vote for Governors and on other important matters, tries
to keep its members informed on questions related to its own business
operations.  That is not to say that there are still not proprietary
considerations and obligations as well.  No company could remain in
business without some degree of privacy in its operations,  BPI, on the
other hand, has obligations only to its stockholders.

Since your interest, Guy,  is because you are a potential cryonaut, let me
first set the context by telling you a little of the American Cryonics
Society.  I'll attempt to do this without it being (much of) a sales pitch.
The American Cryonics Society was first founded in 1969 and is the oldest
cryonics society.  The first suspension, for which ACS received the (whole
body) anatomical donation was in 1974.  We also are the first company, of
those in existence today, to offer an "unbundled" program, and have been
innovators of that concept.

We have an obligation to our members to provide suspension services.  We
don't have an obligation to provide them through any particular contractor.
We may use contractors, or may perform these services ourselves.

Recognizing that we should not be dependent upon any contractor, especially
for initial suspension services, a number of years ago we begin a program
of in-house training, and equipment acquisition.  We also developed
contracts and cultivated working relationships with companies and people
who could assist with suspensions.

We believe the program of any cryonics organization can be strengthened by
the use of service companies.  BPI, for example, because it also does
contract research, can spend much more on equipment and training than can
most cryonics organizations.  Currently there are only two to four
suspensions per year (by all organizations and companies combined).   This
means that the equipment and training of any organization is used
infrequently.  Equipment used for contract research, on the other hand, may
be put to daily use.

Unfortunately there just aren't that many private companies who are capable
and willing to contract for complete suspension services.  There are,
however, quite a number of companies and individuals who can provide
important services in time of suspensions.  For example, we have made use
of air-ambulance services, cooperating physicians, medical technicians, and
morticians, for our suspensions in recent years.  The people and companies
have provided these services to ACS, and the continued availability of this
assistance is not dependent on any service provider.  This model: in-house
service supplemented by outside professionals plus contracting for more
complete (bundled) services when appropriate, is likely to be that followed
by all or most start-up organization in the future.

In summary:  while we wish to contract with any cryonics organization or
company we deem reliable, we try to avoid dependency on such contracts.
Any organization who has this dependency is simply too vulnerable.  For
what it is worth, Mike Darwin and BPI have probably contributed more to our
development of in-house capability than anyone else, with Mike encouraging
this self-sufficiency; and this assistance from BPI continues.

Mike's obligations to CryoCare are rather different than those to ACS.
>From the outset, CryoCare was expected to use BioPreservation's services.
Also, if past history is any indication, the time Mike might need to devote
to his CryoCare obligations are less than to ACS.  Apparently, CryoCare,
too, is following a path to greater self sufficiency, if needed, with
arrangements for equipment availability and training.

No, Guy,  time out of research to do a suspension is not "a refreshing
break."  There are many hundreds of hours BioPreservation may need to
devote to a suspension, which, unlike research, cannot be "scheduled."
This means that when an ACS patient is "on the short list" BioPreservation
must effectively shut down its research operation and devote time almost
exclusively to the impending suspension.  Anyone who doubts that such time
in needed should simply read Mike's report on the suspension of ACS member
Jerry White.  First you have your preparation and training; then you have
your standby; then you have your coordination of auxiliary personnel; then
you have your standby; then you have transportation of people and equipment
to the location where we expect the patient will "go down"; then you again
have your standby; then you have your suspension; then you have your
clean-up and inventory and order supplies; then you have your re-stock of
the ACS in-field kits;  then you have your in-house critique; then you have
to obtain medical records and spend many hours writing up the report.
Along the way there are always fires to be put out:  the patient is
transferred to a different hospital and we have to explain the suspension
requirements to the hospital administration all over again;  another ACS
patient is in critical condition and the in-field equipment must be
duplicated and a plan worked out for simultaneous suspension if needed; the
suspension must be explained to local police who are called to the scene
when concerned neighbors see what looks to be medical personnel unloading,
then loading, a huge quantity of ice and equipment into an ambulance.

After having said all this, I don't want to, in any way, imply that ACS is
just as well-off without a contract with BioPreservation as with one.
Anyone reading the above much-abbreviated discussion of what is really
involved with a suspension should certainly understand that being able to
transfer much of that responsibility to BioPreservation is highly
desirable.  I am grateful that Mike's continued advisory services are still
available to us.

I also want to suggest that anyone who thinks it is necessary or desirable
to "peel away more layers of the onion" to discover the "real" reason for
the cancellation of the ACS-BPI contract, is wasting time.  Mike stated
that his primary reason for cancellation was to make more time for
research.  We took that at face value.  Did both ACS and BPI have
discussions on other things we think should be done different or better?
Of course.  Such critique was an on-going process.  Do readers of Cryonet
or the cryonics community in general need or deserve to be enlightened on
all matters of business dealings between ACS and BPI.  No, neither of us
will supply a "short list" to Cryonet of what we think the other company
"does wrong," beside which (no bull), we were both genuinely pleased with
our relationship.

Is it true, as Guy suggests, that "if suspensions are contracted out,
either the contracts need to be longer, or multiple contracts are
indicated, or both."?    No.  This would be true only if the cryonics
society were entirely dependent upon outside help.  In reality, ACS is a
bit of a hybrid.  The ACS "model" has  elements of both the bundled and
unbundled models.  Any society deciding on what, and how much, to do
in-house needs to look closely at risk-benefits.  Any bundled company who
ignores the possible benefits to its members by use of contract companies
isn't taking advantage of all of the available resources which might be
applied to benefit its members.  Any unbundled company whose ability to
deliver services is entirely dependent on just one contractor puts its
members at risk from over-dependence.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if all
cryonics resources were available to all cryonicists?  We think so.  But we
don't live in that ideal world.  Personality conflicts, lack of trust,
previous bad experience, and ego gratification, get in the way of achieving
that ideal.

I also disagree with Guy when he writes: "...the highest level possible of
reliability in providing suspension services is second only to dependable
long-term storage, in assessing the qualifications of a cryonics provider."


Our goal is to make the time trip successfully.  ACS, as the oldest
cryonics organization, has spent a lot of time and efforts in playing the
"what-if?" game.  It is easy to play what-if, and I am continually
surprised that so few cryonics are skilled players.  First, look at the
failures in cryonics, the people who have been thawed, the companies who
have gone out of business.  Study your history!  Try, as best you can, to
analyze these failures and build into your program "fail-safes" to try to
avoid these past sins.  Then, in recognition that we haven't yet
experienced all the bad or good things which could happen, ask what should
be done if a particular even, be it fortune or misfortune, should occur?
Then ask: what could or should be done now in anticipation or to avoid that
event?  Then: how can the relatively meager resources now available to
cryonicists be used most effectively to  address the "what ifs"?  This
informal risk-benefit study will show that there are times and
circumstances where you must balance the good of the individual against
that of the society, and the interests of some members against others, and
the interests of animate members against those in suspension, etc.  The ACS
answer to these moral dilemmas is our emphasis upon individual
responsibility.  While we will do a lot to assist an individual member we
don't take on charity cases and it's possible for one of our members to
take actions which get him into trouble.  It is also possible for a member
to do a lot to maximize his own chances of making that time trip
successfully.

Back to my disagreement with Guy's statement.  Far too little attention has
been paid by both the individual cryonicist and the cryonics community to
the legal and financial aspects of a suspension program.  It doesn't matter
how good a suspension you may have gotten, or how dependable the long-term
storage operation available to you may be, if your suspension funding or
legal arrangements fail.

Over ten years ago the American Cryonics Society revised its suspension
program to make use of individual trusts for management of long-term
suspension assets.  As a result of our recent suspensions, we have gotten
much more involved with the practical application of that decision than
ever before.  Although the bugs are not yet all shaken out of the plan, the
practice seems to be vindicating the decision.  We use trusts.  They are
easily understood by most lawyers and financial planners.  Indications are
this practice will help protect frozen members from fraud or mismanagement
or from failure of the society itself.  Yet most potential recruits spend
very little time considering this apparent advantage.  Rather, they are
wowed by claims of superiority in suspensions when, in reality, even if we
could waive a wand and suddenly have all suspension capabilities from all
companies to call upon, it would still be problematic that the member would
get a good suspension most of the time.  Delays in notification, lack of
full cooperation by family or friends, or resistance from the established
medical community, can all make our best efforts and intentions count for
naught.

I am firmly convinced that most cryonicists, be they members of whatever
cryonics organization, or none at all, LIVE IN A FOOL'S PARADISE.  When a
potential recruit asks a society about its suspension services, the society
points to its best cases.  The question is not "What services does your
society offer?"  rather it is "What services am I likely to get?"  The
answer to that second question depends very much on individual efforts and
understandings (which includes the arrangements you have made) and how much
you are willing to pay.  There is a lot the American Cryonics Society can
do, WITH MAXIMUM HELP FROM THE MEMBER, to provide a good send-off and
legally and financially sound time-travel.

Let me follow up on my FOOLS PARADISE statement with a concrete example:
How many of you fools (just an attention-getting figure of speech, guys)
really believe you are going to get standby service?  You are in an auto
accident and the nurse calls your bracelet number and, within hours, the
crack suspension team from your society is sitting at your bedside.  Right?
Well, maybe so, maybe not.  At ACS, although we want to be available (for
standby as opposed to suspension), we have no automatic obligation to do
so, and would evaluate the situation on a case-by-case basis and make a
decision.  There are ways you could either provide funding for standby
(through certain insurance options, for example) or designate another
person with the authority and access to funds to evaluate the circumstances
and make the decision for you.  Only a small percentage of our members have
such arrangements in place, and there is very little attention given to
this matter in cryonics publications.  I would be willing to bet (and in
some instances I know for certain) that this is the case with other
organizations as well.  There is so much attention given to the myth of the
crack suspension team which is immediately at your bedside to whisk you
away to the future, that common sense, easy to do procedures (like
selecting options on your insurance policy to pay for standby), are often
completely ignored and not even discussed.

Let me attempt to "peel away the layers of the onion" to determine what
Guy's question really is:  what Guy really wants to know is if he signs up
with CryoCare in the expectation that Mike's services are going to be
available to him, is it likely that Mike will then cancel his contract
leaving Guy and other CryoCare members to "flap in the breeze," so to
speak?  Highly unlikely.  CryoCare was set up with the expectation that
BioPreservation (or some such company run by Mike) would be available for
suspension services.  However, (and I think most CryoCare enthusiasts would
agree), one should not joint CryoCare (or ACS) because of expectation of
high-tech suspensions from any one service provider.

What you do get with ACS or CryoCare, is a suspension plan designed to
depend upon the market-driven free enterprise system for its success.  When
the Bay Area Cryonics Society (to become the American Cryonics Society) was
established, many of its founders believed that the success of cryonics
would depend upon using the time-tested market-enterprise business model.
This philosophy has continued through our organization's history.  In
reality, because of the very small cryonics market, there has been far less
application of this concept than we thought.  When CryoCare was
established, it's advocates recognized the small market impediment to a
system designed to use free-market forces.  They also believed that
cryonics would not remain a small market forever, and setting CryoCare up
as an organization friendly to contracting would encourage the development
of new cryonics enterprises.

If you agree with this market-economy, non-paternalistic, philosophy, and
you  determine that the service offered, as well as actually provided, is
good, then ACS or CryoCare are good choices.  As I indicated earlier, there
is a big difference between what a society has done in its best cases and
what it is likely to do for you.  We are all too small, and membership too
disbursed, to be able to deliver a good suspension under all circumstances.
Mike may die (sorry Mike), or you may not die, or the horse may talk.
Don't join a society to get the services of one person (or a small group of
people) or fail to join because of fears that the services of one person
may not be available.  Jerry Leaf was probably the best there was.  His
contribution to cryonics, to ACS, to Trans Time, to Alcor, and (ultimately)
to CryoCare, was tremendous.  He is gone now, and we still have good
suspensions.

Join a society where you like and respect the people. You will be dealing
with them for a good long time. Join a society whose philosophy,
operations, and history you are comfortable with.  Don't worry that Mike
will cancel his contract with CryoCare, its not likely to happen, and if it
did, CryoCare would survive and offer respectable suspensions.  And don't
cry for the poor ACS members who will now have to stay out in the warm
because Mike is the only one in the whole wide world who can freeze people
right.  Mike is damned good, we know it, he knows it, but he is also a
damned good teacher.  Mike is also not very smart.  In his ignorance, he
sold us equipment and clued us in on his best technology.  Shucks, he even
gave us a suspension manual that has a passing resemblance to one another
company had kept under lock and key for years!  No smarts.  That guy has
absolutely no smarts!

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American Cryonics Society                 (408)734-4200
                   FAX (408)734-4441
P.O. Box 1509
Cupertino, CA 95015
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