X-Message-Number: 23457
From: 
Subject: Re: Scientific Evaluation of Cryonics Protocol
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 04:29:29 US/Eastern

  Adversarial public e-mail exchanges can be informative and 
some people find them entertaining. But for me they are very 
inconvenient. Most of the time I am frantically busy and I 
don't want to have to give top priority to providing a 
hasty answer. Additionally, it does not serve my strategy
of effective deployment to announce my plans for dealing
with ischemia & vitrification in the heat of a CryoNet
debate. I will therefore make this posting my last message
on the subject -- and leave it to Charles to attack me
as he sees fit -- charges which I will not answer. 

   I must admit that there are "political" overtones to
this discussion which hamper addressing issues on purely
scientific terms. I have not been forthcoming about this,
but I feel pressured to be more candid. Again, I would
rather be motivated to communicate by the propriety of
the communication than by pressure -- another reason to
avoid CryoNet debates on these subjects. 

   I mean no disrespect to Mike Darwin or Steve Harris.
I have learned a great deal from Mike Darwin. I have had
two Transport Technician trainings from the man. Dr. Harris
is a very knowledgeable physician who has shown great 
boldness in committing his professional training & status
to the cause of cryonics. Nonetheless, I have doubts about
the CCR anti-ischemic meds. 

    These meds are said to have allowed a dog to experience
17 minutes of warm ischemia in one experiment in which the
dog showed complete neurological recovery -- a "world 
record". I believe that an untreated dog would not last
more than about 10 minutes (humans have a greater ischemic
tolerance than dogs). I cannot remember the details, but I 
believe Mike Darwin admitted to pre-treating the dogs in a
manner he claimed was not material. (This was discussed
on CryoNet and if a diligent person can search the archives
I would appreciate being reminded of the exact pre-treatment.)

    The experiment was never published in a peer-reviewed
journal. The formulation is secret. Thus, the case for the
anti-ischemic potency of the CCR cocktail rests on the 
credibility of the scientists, rather than on published
science. For me to question the result is the equivalent
of character assassination -- which is not what I want. 
Although an honest mistake is also a possibility. 

    The great majority of people in the developed nations
of the world die of cardiovascular disease -- heart disease
or stroke. Hordes of scientists have researched anti-ischemic
medications. Many have shown favorable results in animal 
experiments, but none have passed clinical trials. We are 
told that the vast superiority of the CCR anti-ischemic 
meds cannot benefit the general public because of problems
with cocktail preparations winning FDA approval. I find this
hard to believe. There are hordes of scientists who do pure
research who care nothing about FDA approval and who would
love to show proof of something -- anything -- which could
reduce ischemia in cardiovascular disease victims. Even
without FDA approval the scientific acclaim would be great.

    Of special note is the world's leading resuscitation
scientist -- Peter Safar. The greatest anti-ischemic
treatment he has found -- and the focus of his research
-- is hypothermia. I think FDA approval is the least of
Dr. Safar's concerns. 

    Assuming that the CCR anti-ischemia treatment does
reduce ischemia, how much additional benefit might it 
add to CPS & cooling? What if it were one-thousandth of
the beneifit of CPS & cooling? Would that justify the
cost? Every decision requires cost/benefit analysis. If
cost were not a factor, then I would have a 
cryonically-equipped team of paramedics & physicians 
with me 24-hours a day. (I am not saying that CCR meds
only provide one-thousandth the benefit -- the figure
is probably higher.) 

    Cost is a very important factor for local groups.
It is also true -- and I know this from experience --
that individuals are often intimidated into inaction
because of the complexity (and cost) of meds -- as 
well as of portible ice baths. It is not enough to 
say that this SHOULD NOT be the case. It IS the case. 
(Only a few local groups in the world have an Alcor 
equipment/meds kit in their city.) 

    Any CI member who wishes to receive the CCR meds
from a Transport Team can do so by making arrangements
with Suspended Animation. This has been announced in 
THE IMMORTALIST several times. The next issue of THE
IMMORTALIST will announce that Suspended Animation 
has an agreement with ACS to provide service to its
members. 

   Although I have recently had the insight that 
"the death of death in cryonics" also applies to cell
death -- and that most cell death of cryonics patients
who have been perfused is easily-repaired apoptotic
death -- I am not indifferent to ischemic damage. I 
hope to see CI patients who are not receiving SA 
service benefitting from a number of anti-ischemic &
vitrification options which I will announce when it
is appropriate to do so. 

                   -- Ben Best 

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