X-Message-Number: 6197
From:  (hEpCaT)
Subject: Cryonics and the Medical Ethic
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 21:33:26 -0700 (PDT)

> 
> Message #6193
> Date:  Sun, 12 May 96 21:20:41 
> From: Steve Bridge <>
> Subject: SCI.CRYONICS Alcor and CryoCare Standbys

snip snip...

> 
>      Steve Harris has his own confusion here.  Alcor ALWAYS offers standby
> services.  Sometimes standby is not possible (sudden death) and sometimes
> individual members do not have (or do not choose to allot) the financial
> resources to pay for a long standby.  I will agree that Alcor does not yet
> have a cryonics physician as deeply versed in internal medicine, aging,
> and modes of death as is Dr. Harris.  Therefore, our ability to offer
> medical advice on the patient's disease which might allow the patient to
> live longer is necessarily less than CryoCare's.

deleted...

I hope that for the sake of future Alcor patients and their well being 
that Alcor doesn't routinely become involved in medical decisions that
prolong the lives of terminally ill patients. Aside from the obvious
potential conflict of interest of having the cryonics provider involved
in medical decisions, the bigger concern is the inclination of good doctors 
to concentrate more on what they can do for the patient while he or she is 
still alive (even though that could potentially negate the patient's 
suspension). This isn't usually bad, if it weren't for doctors that were 
truly concerned about saving life, then we's all be worse off. My only 
problem is that sometimes, it's hard for doctors to differentiate what 
would need to be done under "normal" circumstances versus the peculiar 
needs someone going into cryonic suspension. A conciencious MD would 
think nothing of having a patient spend money earmarked for cryonics on 
getting a few months more of quality life.

IMHO, a doctor's function insofar as cryonics is concerned is to make sure 
there is proper and swift pronouncement of death. It may sound a little 
narrow, but when you consider that someone is terminal then what else 
should a cryonics organization do but freezing them? We don't have 
nanotechnology yet, and if conventional medicine were enough, cryonics 
wouldn't be needed to begin with!

Ever forward,

David

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David Cosenza                                           
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