Last year famous Italian neuroscientist, Dr. Sergio Canavero, surprised the world when he decided to perform the first human head transplant in the world. He announced that this huge procedure will happen in December 2017. Canavero has recruited a head surgeon to lead this historical process.
All of this may sound like something out of a science-fiction movie, but there is one man who is hoping that this operation will improve the quality of his life.
A 30-year-old man from Russia, called Valery Spiridonov, is the first volunteer for the operation in the hope of living a normal life. Mr. Spiridonov is a computer scientist who suffers from very rare motor neuron disorder, better known as Werdnig-Hoffmann Disease. This disorder causes motor neurons to fail. This leads to muscular atrophy and in some cases, difficulty breathing and swallowing. At this time, there is no any treatment for this condition.
Just like with any other surgery, this procedure has great risk and uncertainty. Will the head reject this new body? Will the professionals be able to reconnect Mr. Spiridonov’s spinal cord?
While the advance medicine treatments reduce the risk of rejection, this surgery is not a sure success as no expert has ever successfully reconnected a spinal cord. Valery Spiridonov is well aware of all the risks and is strongly determined to take a chance on Dr. Sergio Canavero and go through with the surgery. He told Mail Online:
” Has conducted many serious operations and he is a very experienced neurosurgeon. Unquestionably, he has never done something like this and we have to think carefully through all the possible risks. But if you want something to be done, you need to participate in it.”
Conclusion:
Many medical experts do not embrace this procedure, describing it as quite outlandish and almost impossible. While surviving this kind of complicated and intricate procedure is certainly unlikely, it can help restore individuality for the severely disabled. However, there are people like Spiridonov that feel it’s worth the risks.
Below you can see a video in which Spiridonov talks about his brave decision to participate in this surgery:
