Referring to false teeth, false legs and false arms, I heard a comedian once say that there were some people walking around who have very little left, compared to what they started out with!! Since he passed on, we have moved on to heart, kidney and liver transplants. More recently we even saw a total face transplant. We might think, “Where will they go from here?” Well, let me tell you.
Two weeks ago I read a report in which scientists have indicated that it is now possible to transplant a complete head! Think about that for a moment. If you will excuse the pun, it is mind-blowing!
Apparently they have already tried it with three monkeys – poor monkeys! Two lasted a matter of hours with no movement below the neck. The other one had partial movement below the neck but died after eleven days.
It is estimated that the operation on a human being would need 80 surgeons and other medical personnel and would take up to100 hours to complete. The cost would be in the multiple millions of dollars.
Can you imagine being asked if you would like a new head? I asked my wife if she had an inoperable brain tumor, would she like a new head. She quickly replied “No thank you!” How would you know what was already in that head?
Just the possibility of this raises numerous questions. My first question was, “Is the body receiving a new head or is the head receiving a new body?” I think it is the latter. If you had your head lobbed off and replaced with another, who would continue to live? It wouldn’t be you but the person in the new head.
Then there are endless questions, spiritual, psychological as well as a mountain of ethical issues to face. The whole idea seems quite impracticable.
What do you think to all this? If you have the answers to these questions, you are a better person than me – although that would be no surprise!
On the comical side I must conclude with a saying which seems to apply here, “Learn to keep your head when others around you are losing theirs!”
