X-Message-Number: 19990
Date: Thu, 5 Sep 2002 08:39:04 -0400
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: CryoNet #19982 - #19987

For James Hughes MD:

Some points relevant to your message:

1. Cryonicists do NOT agree with general medicine on what constitutes
   "brain death", in that general medicine may say a brain is dead
   when prospects exist that it is revivable. This does not help
   those with some conditions such as Alzheimers, which result in
   loss of neurons. However not all officially believed "brain death"
   consists of an unrevivable brain.

2. There is a strategy commonly used by cryonicists to be suspended
   prior to undergoing the "death" caused simply by letting their 
   body go on as it has been. Starve yourself to death. It turns
   out that this is the only method for committing suicide which
   does not cause autopsy. When I was in the middle of a law case
   years ago asking for my right to be suspended prior to legal
   death (I had a brain tumor), I met one cryonicist, a woman,
   who was doing exactly that. I am told reliably that she is not
   the only one.

   Some people will rightfully say that starvation causes damage,
   too, even to our brains. However the alternative is much worse:
   not to be suspended causes far worse damage to our brains.

Just some comments to clarify the situation.

		Best wishes and long long life,

			Thomas Donaldson

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