Take off his head is the famous dialogue that we often hear. In movies, whenever someone has to be killed, they target their head in one way or the other. What if they could reuse their body with another head? Well, scientists are trying to attempt the world’s first head transplant.
Dr. Sergio Canavero’s Take on World’s First Head Transplant
An Italian surgeon with the name of Dr. Sergio Canavero is behind the idea of World’s first head transplant. He is contemplating the idea for a very long time. In 2013, he did publish a paper proposing the possibility of transplanting a head onto another human body. However, there have been a lot of technological hurdles to achieve it.
He has already recruited many surgeons since 2015 to help him with the first head transplant. A Chinese surgeon Dr. Xiaoping will assist Dr. Sergio Canavero in completing the procedure. The final place for conducting the operation is not yet finalized. However, Dr. Canavero may choose to operate on World’s first head transplant in the UK or Vietnam.
Surgeons from Different Countries Taking Part in Operation
It is a massive undertaking and requires the expertise of many specialists. Therefore, 80 highly qualified specialists from South Korea, Russia, and China will take part in this operation. The surgery is estimated to take 36 hours and cost around $10 million.
Use of Special Blade for the Operation
A professor of bioengineering and mechanical engineering Farid Amirouche, teaching at the University of Illinois Chicago has developed the blade for this operation. The surgeon will use this specially made blade to detach the head from the body. The detached brain will be attached to the body of the brain-dead donor. The blade will not advance through a nerve unless it is required to cut it. The use of reflective lights will ensure accuracy in the cutting process. A doctor to operate with Dr. Sergio Canavero, Dr. C-Yoon Kim claims to have successfully transplanted heads on dogs and rats.
The Procedure of World’s First Head Transplant
Dr. Canavero will cool both the bodies to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Once cooled, he will sever the heads from both the bodies. Then, the doctor will connect the new head to the donor’s body. The body with a new head will remain in an induced coma for one month.
The doctor hopes that by this time, the volunteer’s head would be able to connect with the donor’s body. The biggest risk involves the body not accepting the new head. There are a lot of challenges involved including connecting blood vessels, esophagus, and airways.
Ethical and Moral Questions
Many have raised serious objections about this operation. They believe that it will be against the ethics to connect someone’s head with someone else’s body. Furthermore, the argument also states that it would encourage people with money to become young again by choosing a new body.
Scientific Objections
Some doctors already consider this as a failed experiment. They say that a human body consists of so many parts. Just installing a new head on top of it would not make the connections. Furthermore, they believe even if the experiment does become successful, it may lead the patient to going insane.
Volunteer for World’s First Head Transplant
The volunteer for this operation is a 30 years old Russian Valery Spiridonov. Spiridonov volunteered for this operation as he suffers from a rare muscle atrophy disease. The volunteer hopes the procedure will help change his life altogether.
