X-Message-Number: 2300
Date: 06 Jun 93 12:59:27 EDT
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: CRYONICS Openness and Honesty

To: Cryonet
June 6, 1993 

Preliminary note: Once again I have been having trouble with 
my e-mail provider. Some messages have not reached me. Anyone 
who receives no reply from me at  
can try me at CompuServe, 71042.3557. MindVox is still being 
built, which leads to glitches now and then. 

--- 

I agree entirely with Steve Bridge, about the desirability of 
openness, here, so long as it doesn't turn into a self-
destructive exercise. 

Okay, Steve, if you want to reinstate openness, let's begin 
with the audit that was done of Alcor finances. CRYONICS 
magazine published that audit. However, as I understand it, 
there was an additional letter from the auditors, addressed 
to Alcor management, spelling out some recommendations, and 
mentioning some problems. This letter was NOT published in 
CRYONICS, presumably because it was unflattering. How about 
letting us see it, here on the net? After all, the audit was 
largely paid for by people like me. Shouldn't we have a 
chance to read the full story, not just the nice part? 

Needless to say, Alcor has no moral or legal obligation to 
make that letter public. But, if we're going for more 
openness, I guess my question is, what are the limits, here?  

---

Re the "stablization team member who was sent home for not 
shaving": the complete story, beginning with a standby in 
Boston and ending with Stanley Gerber deciding not to go 
through paramedic school, is a whole lot more complicated 
than this. Please note that Stanley still works as an EMT, so 
far as I know, and is still the most active member of Alcor 
New York's stabilization team. If anyone really cares about 
all the personal details, they can send me e-mail and I will 
put them in touch with Stanley direct. 

---

To Ben Best: You suggest it's natural to be more open with a 
close friend than with a stranger. True. And this does 
explain to some extent why we emphasize problems with our 
fellow cryonicists, while de-emphasizing them to the outside 
world. On the other hand, cryonics is (supposed to be) a 
SCIENCE. And so far as I know, scientists don't generally 
cover up inconvenient facts (such as cracking) when they are 
discussing their experiments. 

The real problem is that we're trying to sell something which 
doesn't work yet. We think it WILL work, and we feel 
justified in selling it because it's potentially a life-
saving procedure. But judged by the standards which apply to 
any other "normal" enterprise, cryonics is hopelessly under-
developed and not at all ready for marketing. That, I think, 
is why we find ourselves hesitating, not sure how open to be. 

Seems to me, the only answer to this problem is to do the 
research which will make cryonics more functional. That's why 
I feel it is worth putting money into the current research 
effort being promoted by Saul Kent. 

Incidentally, a tentative plan has been made for Mike Darwin, 
Saul, and perhaps Steve Harris to come to New York on July 25 
and give a presentation regarding the research which their 
company, 21st Century Medicine, wants to accomplish. I do not 
yet have precise details, but anyone on the East Coast who is 
interested might want to make a note of that date. 

--Charles Platt 

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