X-Message-Number: 2333
Date: 08 Jul 93 04:09:21 EDT
From: Paul Wakfer <>
Subject: CRYONICS Re "the bleaching of Patient A-1399"

From: Paul Wakfer

Dear CryoNet,

    While there are many things concerning "the bleaching of patient
A-1399" on which I could comment, I believe that Mike Darwin and Steve
Harris, two scientists with far more knowledge and experience than I,
have more than adequately addressed the major issues in their CRYONET
postings, except for two items.  I fully support what they have said.

    The 2 items with which I have direct knowledge and a unique
perspective are:

1) Tanya's statement in her CRYOMSG #2323 posting "Jerry Leaf spent
time documenting protocols for cryonic suspension (over a decade ago),
and those protocols were removed from Alcor by Cryovita and weren't
available for me to study when I began learning about suspensions."

When I arrived at Alcor to devote full time to cryonics on February 1,
1992, I thought that I had come to assume the Presidency of Cryovita. 
Not wishing to displace anyone, I re-organized the library in the
Cryovita Office and made a work-space for myself.  At the same time I
set to work to familiarize myself with the existence and general
nature of everything on the bookshelves.  Among the things which I
found were 10 large blue three ring binders all carefully labeled for
the various cryonic suspension team positions.  Although, because of
more pressing concerns, it was a couple of months before I did so, I
was eager to examine these binders because I thought that they would
contain everything that the person in a particular suspension team
position would need to know, including the exact specifications of
their position and how to perform all the tasks required of their
position including many of the variations which they might encounter. 
During those 2 months, at a time when the Alcor staff and suspension
team members were desperately trying to train and prepare for
suspensions in what appeared then to be Mike Darwin's permanent
absence, it seemed very strange to me that no-one ever touched these
volumes.  When I finally did examine them in detail, I found their
contents to be essentially as Mike has described in his accompanying
CRYOMSG.  While the information contained therein is good general
medical, physiological and equipment information relating to the
various team positions, it is in no way a set of procedures or
"protocols" concerning how the people in those positions should
operate on the suspension team.  I can only assume that Tanya had also
noticed the existence of these volumes, but had never looked at their
contents and did not attempt to do so until after they had been
removed along with the rest of Cryovita's property not purchased by
Alcor, when Cryovita was forced, because of an attempted theft of
Cryovita's corporate assets, and total hostility and non-cooperation
on the part of Alcor's CEO (Carlos Mondragon), to vacate its rightful
premises in the Alcor building.  Having been a university professor
for many years, I am always eager to help people to gain knowledge. 
Certainly, I have never tried to keep public domain information from
anyone.  If Tanya had really wanted to use the volumes in question,
all she had to do was ask.

2) I also wish to attest to the fact that Hugh Hixon, and others, have
repeatedly stated that taking blood gases and other analytical
measurements during a suspension is of very little value.  I too, at
the beginning of my suspension education soon after arrival, thought
that all this cost and time spent on testing (and some other things,
such as sterile procedure) was unnecessary and possibly detracted from
other more important parts of the process of getting a member
suspended in a manner optimal with respect to reanimation in the
future.  I have become convinced, by understanding the reasons why,
that these are important and necessary parts of the whole process. 
Hopefully, this bleach episode will finally convince Hugh also.

    The problem with the current suspension capability of Alcor is
very simple and straightforward.  When Jerry Leaf and/or Mike Darwin
were leading the team, we had someone in charge who knew from direct
medical experience what doing suspensions as medical procedures
involved.  Regarding and executing the suspension as a life saving
medical procedure is what Alcor was all about.  That is the single
reason why it stood head and shoulders above any other suspension
organization.  That is the reason why I and many others chose to join
Alcor rather that any other suspension organization.  No matter how
hard they try, no matter how dedicated and courageous they are, the
current members of the Alcor suspension team do not have the training
and medical experience necessary to know what constitutes medical
procedures and what doesn't.  Unless and until one of them becomes
professionally trained and receives on-the-job hospital experience, or
they hire someone, or find a volunteer, who has this experience and
who then gains the necessary cryonics knowledge, the Alcor suspension
team will not be adequate to the task of doing suspensions at the
level of medical professionalism of which Jerry Leaf was, and Mike
Darwin is capable.

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