X-Message-Number: 3125
Subject: CRYONICS Re:Risks, good and bad
Date: Mon, 12 Sep 94 21:42:45 EDT
From: Stephen J. Van Sickle <>

Mr. Platt:

In your post you wrote:

**********************
The obvious answer (I think) is to have a standby team that
does NOT work for the company that stores patients. Once this
decoupling has occurred, the standby team can take any good
risks it feels necessary on behalf of the new patient, while
the patients that have already been frozen are protected by
being under the control of an entirely separate company. 
**********************

Does this not assume that the only other people put at risk
by an agressive team working on behalf of a new patient are
the frozen patients?  What of the people who have contracted
with the uncoupled company, particularly those who are ill and
may be of need of suspension soon?  If this does not constrain
the actions of the suspension team, then why should the contractees
rely on the suspension company to be there when they need them?

Indeed, it seems to me that a new patient has more in common with
the already frozen than with the not yet frozen.  The team's actions
are *always* constrained to one degree or another.  In the case of
a new patient, the team must avoid actions which will result in the
patient being thawed out.  This is the very same danger the already
frozen face, so would not the precautions and constraints be similar?

On the other hand, the not yet frozen face the danger of the team
being put out of commission for some period of time, be it court order,
confiscated material, or prison.  This effects the frozen not at all;
they have no need of a suspension team.  But it greatly effects those
who have contracted.  They must make other arrangments quickly, or 
simply bear the risk of being uncovered.

I suppose this could be handled with multiple service providers, and
multiple contracts.  But I suspect that the current state of affairs are
such that there is strong incentive *not* to take the "good risks"
you describe. 

Stephen Van Sickle

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