Head Transplants Could Be Available As Soon As 2017
The first documented procedure was done in the 50s by Vladimir Demikhov, a surgeon and transplant pioneer, grafted the head and forelimbs of a puppy onto the body of a different dog. He also followed this up with the creation of a two headed dog. The animals did not last for more than two days. There is also another incident where Dr. Robert White, who performed the first successful head transplant on a monkey in 1970. The monkey was paralyzed because he did not fuse the spinal cords to the donor monkey with the recipient. It also couldn’t breathe without assistance.
One neurosurgeon believes that this procedure could be successfully carried out on humans, and he has just published an outline of major risks. Sergio Canavero, a doctor, admits major obstacles have to be overcome, such as the body rejected the head, which can actually be fixed by medicine. With a few extra steps and research, then the procedure could be ready by 2017. This could help people whose organs have cancer, or those who have suffered in major car accidents. Canavero is now trying to recruit a team to further the possibility of this procedure.
