X-Message-Number: 7913
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 1997 09:11:21 -0800
From:  (Olaf Henny)
Subject: Re: CryoNet #7900 - #7909

Mike Perry <> wrote:
>On Olaf Henny's problem:
>
>He seems to think that there are two alternatives only: (1) you 
>preserve only your CNS or brain, and you come back without your 
>endocrine system, and you NEVER recover that, so you are deficient 
>thereafter in emotions, etc. or (2) your endocrine system is 
>preserved all along and restored along with the rest of you. It 
>doesn't seem to occur that there is a third alternative, which is, 
>that your endocrine system is not preserved, but is *recreated* from 
>information (such as that found in DNA) that *is* preserved. Dolly the 
>sheep has a complete (sheep) endocrine system--yet she certainly 
>didn't start with one--and it is (presumably) the same, within close 
>limits, as that of her "mother" from which she was cloned. So
>why would it be essential to preserve the human endocrine system 
>in cryopreservation? Why not just recreate it at the appropriate time?


<> wrote:
 
>2. Olaf Henny asks about the importance of preserving more than the brain, in
>order to preserve one's hormones etc. The common-sense answer appears to be,
>first, that a castrated man (e.g.) has nevertheless survived, as has a woman
>after hysterectomy; and second, that glands etc. should be relatively VERY
>easy to replace or regenerate.

The no doubt significant accomplishment of Ian Wilmut and 
Keith Campbell was, that they managed to 'bully' through 
starvation an egg of sheep A into accepting the cell of an 
udder of sheep B in lieu of a sperm.  The resulting zygote 
was then implanted into the uterus of sheep C and brought to 
term in the usual manner of natural propagation.  The 
accomplishment of these Scottish scientists lay in the 
acceptance of the udder cell in lieu of sperm and complete 
dominance of the DNA of the egg, which was presumably due to 
the inability of a somatic cell to assert its own DNA.

With all due respect to Wilmut and Campbell, the above seems 
to relate to the cloning of my endocrine system, like 
climbing a step ladder relates to reaching the moon.  The 
Scotts have merely found a variation to the natural 
reproductive process, which allowed one DNA absolute 
dominance.

But back to my concerns, that while I agree, that the 
primary 'seat' of the essence of my personality is located 
in my brain, a significant part of it is, what I call my 
soul, my hormone system.  I am not quite sure how that, even 
giving cloning, can be integrated into an artificial 
construct. It is reasonable to assume, that if we can 
selectively clone an endocrine system, without cloning the 
rest of the individual with it, we may not be far from 
cloning all but the cranial part of the CNS.  So where does 
the artificial construct come in, that many of us anticipate 
uploading to?

Olaf Henny

********************************************************
-  I used to be the nicest kid.  Even my mom often said:
"That Olaf, he is a good boy; - when he sleeps"
********************************************************

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