Monthly Archives: February 2011

Poisoning the Well

Monitoring the CryoCultural Penetration of the Groundwater By Mike Darwin There ain’t no justice… If any press is good press, then cryonics should consider itself blessed indeed; because that perennial bad seed, Robert F. Nelson, is about have a movie … Continue reading

Posted in Cryonics History, Culture & Propaganda, Philosophy | Leave a comment

Last Aid as First Aid for Cryonicists, Part 2

To fix a problem you first have to understand that you have one. While all cryonicists understand the idea that time after cardiac arrest without cooling or other stabilization is not good, few can even describe this injury by its proper name; ischemic injury. Fewer still can provide even the barest details about its mechanics and time course, and only a handful of cryonicists would even be able to voice an opinion about at what point in this process they think such damage might become irreversible (short of complete decomposition). Almost none could give reasons as to what constitutes the basis for their opinion. This state of affairs is both unacceptable and dangerous. It is unacceptable because it has been 47 years since cryonics began, and during that time an enormous amount has been learned about the biological basis of personality and memory, and about ischemic injury and ways to reduce, if not eliminate it. Failing to act in the face of such knowledge is inexcusable. Continue reading

Posted in Cryonics Technology (General), Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury, Medicine | Leave a comment

Maxim, Pumps, and Flow Measurement

You know, the ironic thing is, when Maxim first arrived on the scene, I was really pleased, and I looked forward to being able to work with her in some capacity. I had dealt with a number of perfusionists before, and in fact employed two perfusionists when I operated BioPreservation, a cryonics service provider company in the 1990s. My communication with Maxim was necessarily constrained when she was first hired by Suspended Animation, Inc., because I’d learned from previous experience that it is essential to let people gain their own unbiased experience of an enterprise, and especially of a new employment situation, before any negative input is given. Not only is criticizing someone’s employer under such circumstances considered sleazy behavior, it also just doesn’t work. You are perceived as having an axe to grind, being jealous, and so on. Continue reading

Posted in Cryonics Technology (General), Medicine, Perfusion | 3 Comments

Response to Maxim’s Rant about Automation in Cardiopulmonary Bypass

I loathe the use of the ad hominem in arguments, and the proof of this is that I rarely use it (and much of what I’ve written is on-line, so this statement can be easily checked). I feel this way about it because I’ve so often had it used on me. My secondary school years, particularly the first two, were horrible. They took the concept of bullying to a whole new level. My response to this was to keep as low as profile as possible, and to go out of my way not to get beaten up – either verbally or physically. It didn’t work. While I can’t say I was grateful for the experience, I did learn a lot from it, not the least of which was the understanding that there isn’t just one type of “bully” or “harasser.” They come in a variety of phenotypes and they are often motivated by very different things. Continue reading

Posted in Cryonics Technology (General), Medicine, Perfusion | 21 Comments

Last Aid as First Aid for Cryonicists, Part 1

“Last Aid as First Aid for Cryonicists” is part of an ongoing series of articles that will published from time to time, to inform cryonicists of what they can do for themselves locally, to minimize ischemic injury in the event of cardiac arrest. Continue reading

Posted in Cryonics Technology (General), Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury | 2 Comments

The Lifebridge B2T® “Plug-and-Play” Extracorporeal Life Support System

By Mike Darwin Figure 1: The ultra-compact, lightweight and fully self contained Lifebridge B2T® Portable Extracorporeal Life Support System. Introduction The Medizintechnik GmbH Lifebridge B2T® extracorporeal life support system (Figure 1) is a device fast closing in on a technology … Continue reading

Posted in Cryonics Technology (General), Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury, Medicine, Perfusion | 3 Comments

Don’t Ask, But Do Tell

One of the things I find fascinating about so many people in cryonics is their seeming total inability to ask a direct question – or any question – of the person(s) who can answer it. One of the reasons I dislike the Cold Filter Cryonics Chat forum is the sheer stupidity of it. There are thousands upon thousands of words of more (rather than less) idle speculation about all manner of practical questions about cryonics, and yet, apparently no one ever thinks to simply ask the person or persons who knows, or might know, the answer to the questions that are under discussion. Continue reading

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Does Personal Identity Survive Cryopreservation?

By Mike Darwin Introduction Someone who wants to understand the critical technical, social, political or personal issues involved in cryonics may well turn to any of several FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) sites hosted by the various cryonics organizations.[1],[2],[3] As someone … Continue reading

Posted in Cryobiology, Cryonics Philosophy, Cryonics Technology (General), Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury | 16 Comments

The Pathophysiology of Ischemic Injury: Impact on the Human Cryopreservation Patient, Part 4

By Mike Darwin Intracellular Acidosis & Alkalosis While clearly not the sole, or even the major source of injury in ischemia, intracellular lactic acidosis does contribute to the pathophysiology of ischemia,173 Cortical lactate levels above a threshold of 18 – … Continue reading

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Achieving Truly Universal Health Care

In my experience, physicians get evaluations that parallel those most often given to prostitutes; they don’t pay enough attention to you, there is typically a lack of the desired amount of enthusiasm and intimacy, the critical emotional moments are faked, the encounter never lasts long enough, you may discover as a consequence of your visit that you have a loathsome disease, the hourly rate is punishing, and the most you can hope for is palliation, not real relief. Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Medicine | 1 Comment