X-Message-Number: 10796
From: "James Y." <>
Subject: Re: CryoNet #10786 - #10794
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 19:41:02 -0500

> P.S. Did anyone see the segment on Alcor on 48 Hours last
>Thursday night? I heard it was very positive.
>

I saw it, and I would not characterize it as positive. The portion that I
recall showed Linda Chamberlain (I think, apologies if I got the spelling or
person wrong) briefly describing the suspension procedure. The commentator
said "It sounds high-tech, but it is actually more high-school." They then
cut to a cryobiologist (I presume) in his lab, and his comments were very
close to: "It's a pipe dream. It will never work. These people are never
coming back. The damage is far too extensive," and of course the obligatory
hamburger comment was thrown in. There was no counter-argument.

There was no one pointing out that this guy can no more anticipate all
future technologies than Francis Bacon could have anticipated
semiconductors. There was no-one pointing out that as long as there is still
enough information remaining to reconstruct the pre-damaged state of the
brain, some future technology will be able to. I don't suppose there is much
one can do when the journalists have an agenda, but I would hope that a
routine part of a press-visit would be to pre-empt the inevitable hamburger
argument and at least make sure the counter-argument is articulated.

Regards,
James Y.

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