Now, the doctor claims he will attempt a head transplant on a human. The operation will involve removing a disabled volunteer’s head and attaching it to the body of a cadaver.
“The subject’s head would then be connected by the blood vessels, with a metal plate inserted in the neck for support, and an adhesive attached to the spinal cord to help with regrowth,” the Express reported.
Xiaoping has reportedly been inundated with volunteers, many of whom are paralyzed, willing to risk their lives for a chance at mobility.
Italian neurosurgeon Dr. Sergio Canavero has also stated that he plans to conduct a head transplant by the end of 2017, but Xiaoping believes he will be ready to perform the macabre and risky surgery sooner.
The transplant presents a number of medical questions, and many experts have their doubts.
“Would a brain integrate new signals, perceptions, information from a body different from the one it was familiar with? I think the most likely result is insanity or severe mental disability,” Arthur Caplan, head of medical ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center, wrote for Forbes.
“Brain transplantation is not ready for prime time. To attempt to move a brain to a new body given what is known about the medicine and science involved, one would have to be out of one’s mind.”
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