X-Message-Number: 11356
Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 15:48:15 -0500
From: Paul Wakfer <>
Subject: Hippocampal Slice Cryopresvation Project
References: <>

> Message #11344
> Date: Tue, 2 Mar 1999 17:28:06 -0500 (EST)
> From: "B. F. Shelton" <>
> Subject: Re: Charles Platt, Cryonet # 11337

> Or perhaps we are supposed to work hard and send in $$$ to the non-profit
> hippocampal slice project [formerly: Prometheus] so that 21CM will benefit
> from the research without having to lay out the expense (more $$$ in the
> pockets of the elite group of 21CM shareholders - or say it isn't so, Mr.
> Kent, and we can all buy in before the price goes up?)?

Several things about this (which was what prompted my reply).

	The Hippocampal Slice Cryopreservation Project (HSCP) (just now
underway) is the first research project of the Institute for Neural
Cryobiology (INC), a California and federal charitable corporation. The
HSCP was designed and is being led by Gregory M. Fahy, PhD, who is
director of cryopreservation research for 21st Century Medicine (21CM).
Under a contract between 21CM and INC, his time and expertise is being
exchanged for exclusive marketing rights by 21CM to the results of the
HSCP research. The results of the HSCP research will be jointly owned by
INC and the California university research institute (CURI) which is
also jointly financing the HSCP. Profits generated from this research
will equally benefit INC and CURI (allowing it to finance additional
research). Furthermore, since INC was unsuccessful in raising the full
$75,000 involved in its contractual commitment with CURI, 21CM is
supplying the remainder of the funding necessary for the HSCP to
proceed. At the same time, 21CM which is also doing cryopreservation
research and has made great forward strides in cooling rate,
cryopreservative agent, and ice inhibition technology, will be fully
cooperating with the HSCP to make available the very latest information
so that the HSCP research is most valuable to all. In return for this,
21CM will, of course, have full use of any HSCP research results for its
own research purposes.

	I wish to also make it very clear that the total sum of money donated
to INC to date is still under $50,000 which is "a drop in the bucket"
compared with what those backing 21CM have invested. The contractual
relationships between INC and 21CM are advantageous to all parties
concerned and to the cryonics community at large. They are even of value
to those who donated money to INC and have/will receive tax relief in
return, since those people now have the added benefit of realizing that
their money has also contributed to increasing their chances for
extended life. However, yes, the HSCP research and the contractual
arrangements betweeen INC and 21CM are of little financial value to
those who were too short-sighted (or timid) to invest in 21CM early on.
As one of those who were "throwing away" our hard-earned meager assets
early on, when little hope was in sight, I have no sympathy for you
whatever.

	If there is any "elite group" of 21CM shareholders, it is those that
had the morality, the rationality, and the courage to risk major
portions of their assets (for some, *the* major portion) for the purpose
of increasing their chances for extended life and with little or no
concern for financial gain. Yes, those people truly constitute an "elite
group" and if anyone in cryonics is ever to acheive financial gain, I
cannot imagine a group more worthy.  Mr Shelton's whining remark to Saul
Kent is but the constant refrain of the timid, shortsighted, and
irrationally selfish: "Now that it is clear that the business is
succeeding, please let me invest at the same price as those who took the
risk which made it succeed."  By what right, or any other measure of
justice, do you believe that you should be able to do this? You were not
a pledger to the Prometheus Project, not even a vocal supporter. You did
not donate to INC. You have done *nothing* to help the present turn of
events come to pass!
 
	Finally, (once again) the Prometheus Project (PP) as originally
conceived and operated by me, is now terminated. One reasonable way to
look at this, is that the goal of PP became transformed into a major
goal of 21CM and is now under the direction of Saul Kent (who was, of
course, a major supporter of PP). However one wishes to view PP (as
limited success or abject failure), as events unfolded, it became clear
that PP could not succeed in the manner in which it was originally
conceived, and this was, at least partly, because it appeared to be no
longer necessary for PP to do so.

> As for the newbie that ferrets out CryoNet, I would expect that such a
> person has enough native intelligence to deserve a *real* look at
> everything that goes on in the world of cryonics, including messages from
> Mr. Platt.  We aren't exactly at the "market it to the masses" stage yet,
> but even if we get there, IMO truth is better than pizzazz.

But Platt's complaint (I believe) is not only that the content of
CryoNet is not what cryonics *ought* to be, but that it is not *even the
truth* about the "world of cryonics".  This is because:
1. Those who regularly post on cryonet are only a small minority of
active cryonicists.
2. The vast majority of cryonicists both on and off Cryonet have little
interest in these esoteric discussions EVEN WHERE THEY HAVE SPECIAL
KNOWLEDGE OF MATHEMATICS/PHYSICS.
3. Those who have nothing better to do with their time than to "count
the number of angels who can dance on the head of a pin" are dominating
CryoNet's bandwidth. By doing so they are distorting the true picture of
what most cyonicist's wish for, think about, and do with their lives. If
these philosophizers *really* cared about saving their lives through
cryonics, they would take the necessary steps to start a separate list
for "resurrection philosophy" (or some such title). If they do not have
enough common sense to understand that, then *that* fact, in itself is a
damming indictment of cryonics and, quite properly, discourages many new
readers.
4. By its very nature, cryonics is (or should be) a *service* for those
wanting it, to extend their life by preserving it and getting them to
the future where their diseases can be fixed. If cryonics is ever to
have sufficient mass appeal to succeed, it cannot and should not involve
any particular kind of philosophy of life and living.

> As to the content of many recent messages which seem to disturb Mr. Platt,
> it is clear that they do not disturb many other cryonicists, who are
> clearly doing at least as much for cryonics as Mr. Platt does.

This statement incorrectly assumes that if people do not complain they
are not "disturbed", that those who have "done the most for cyronics"
read CryoNet, and that Platt is not among a very small percentage of the
people who have "done the most for cryonics".

-- Paul --

  Voice/Fax: 416-968-6291  ICQ: 25490505
The Institute for Neural Cryobiology - http://neurocryo.org
Perfected cryopreservation of Central Nervous System tissue
for neuroscience research and medical repair of brain diseases

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