X-Message-Number: 4766
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 1995 23::07 -0400
From: "Keith F. Lynch" <>
Subject: Ebola (was Re: Electron Holography for brain scan?)

 (David Stodolsky) writes:
> A potential problem is penetration of the brain by electrons, but
> I remember someone saying that this form of radiation might be useful
> for sterilizing patients infected with Ebola (or was that x-rays?)

Sterilization -- whether by electrons, x-rays, chemicals, or heat --
works by damaging molecules essential for the functioning of the
infectious agent.  Unfortunately, this would also damage molecules
essential for the functioning of the patient.

It's possible that future technology can reverse this damage.  But a
less advanced future technology could remove or destroy the infectious
agent without harming the patient.  After all, the repair technology
which would reverse the radiation damage would have to be able to
identify the infectious agents, otherwise it would repair *them*, too,
and the patient would again be infected!  But if it can identify them,
it can certainly destroy them.

I suspect that Ebola is a relatively simple problem (at least compared
to cancer, AIDS, aging, ischemia, and freezing damage) in that many
Ebola patients survive unscathed.  All we have to do is figure out
what's going on in their bodies to make this possible, and replicate
the effect in other patients' bodies.

The only major problem is that if you have Ebola, and don't survive
it, you probably won't be frozen in the first place, because it's too
hazardous to the suspension team.
--
Keith Lynch, 
http://www.access.digex.net/~kfl/


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