X-Message-Number: 7496
From:  (Thomas Donaldson)
Subject: Re: CryoNet #7430 - #7440
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 14:05:06 -0800 (PST)

Hi!

While I think Mike is extreme about my optimism (after all, I accepted all
his other figures showing the difficulty of good preservation!) I won't 
discuss that issue further. Mike listed 7 autopsies; by Alcor's count,
3rd Qtr 1996, Alcor had 32 patients in suspension. That IS approximately
20%, and I now have my question answered. However I will also ask another
one: sure, the condition of the brains of each of these patients wasn't
good at all. How many of them had just their bodies subject to autopsy, and
how many had their brains autopsied? I already know that in some cases Alcor
has been willing to accept suspension patients (such as the Como patient)
which turned out to have brain autopsies. Is that true for every one of 
these 7? 

Whether or not it is true, dealing with MEs or Coroners takes away lots of
valuable time. None of these patients can be said to have had anywhere
close to a suspension state-of-the-art --- such as state-of-the-art is.
Which leads to a second question: Alcor will now accept last-minute cases.
Which of these were last-minute, and which had already arranged for their
suspensions? (For a long time we've told people to sign up well in advance,
yet they still come, even after death. If nothing else, it would be very
useful to have statistics on just what happens if you DON'T sign up in
advance! Not only that, but any measures we take to reduce the percentage
of autopsies will probably only work for those who are already members). 

Mike's concerns are very appropriate, and deserve attention. All down the
line --- not just in terms of finding some way to vitrify brains, but also
finding a way to discover someone is in trouble earlier, to get the needed
equipment to them earlier, to deal with legal people (like MEs and Coroners
earlier -- all of these) need lots more work before any cryonicist can feel
even moderately secure. It simply won't be enough to know how to reversibly
vitrify brains --- a good advance, sure, but not really enough. 

And I thank him for discussing these statistics. As someone who is already
lucky enough to escape (even if only for 9 years) death from a brain tumor,
I'm happy to take whatever I can get. BUT I do think we can get much more
if we all work at it.

			Best wishes,

				Thomas Donaldson


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