X-Message-Number: 6916
Date: 16 Sep 96 04:36:47 EDT
From: Paul Wakfer <>
Subject: Prometheus: Alcor/CI Fund Appeal

     Although somewhat stunned by their appeal for part of the large amount
of research interest and potential funding which the Prometheus Project has
unearthed, for the first time in the history of cryonics, I have waited
patiently for the end of the Alcor/CI rhetoric about a "major breakthrough"
for which there is so far absolutely no evidence of its applicability to the
central problem of cryonics: namely the amount of freezing damage to the
human brain which is currently being done by even the best cryopreservation
procedures. However, now that Bob Ettinger is not only attempting to get
immediate funding for research which is much more nebulous that the
Prometheus Project and to which every one of his previous copious criticisms
of Prometheus applies equally well, but is also making inaccurate statements
about the Prometheus Project policies, I can no longer remain silent to his
hypocrisy.

1) Bob Ettinger's and Dave Pizer's continuing statements that the Prometheus
Project will not be ready to go until 1998 are without foundation. I have
already posted a message stating that the Project is taking steps to widen
its appeal and place itself more in the science mainstream. These steps could
well lead to its being ready to start in the first half of 1997. They may
also produce a larger influx of money from outside the cryonics community
than originally anticipated. Any pledger who will not be ready to invest at
the start of the project will be allowed to start begin share purchases in
1998, yet have the same privileges as if he or she had started at the
founding of the corporation.

2) The Prometheus Project research will be done by mainstream, credentialed
and published scientists. (It was never planned to be done at 21st Century
Medicine or by Mike Darwin, even though I regard Mike as the premier cryonics
researcher.)

3) I do not recommend that anyone donate to Alcor's research until:
a) They have some credentialed researchers capable of doing meaningful,
verifiable, and publishable work.
b) They have a research plan which details the steps to be taken, the results
looked for, the purpose of each step, the controls related to each step, the
detailed reproducible method to be used, and the anticipated cost of each
experimental step.
c) Some preliminary inexpensive work such as Brian Wowk has proposed, is
taken to show that there is some possibility of the "Visser method" being
applicable to cryonics. Until such evidence is presented, it is unreasonable
to assume that it is useful beyond its use in rat hearts which are, after
all, a very small and easy organ to cryopreserve, little different from the
frog hearts, and rat heart pieces which were done long ago.

I find it inappropriate that the efforts of an unpublished novice which have
not yet been verified to be applicable to cryonics cooling rates and organ
types, have so quickly been seized upon as a "major breakthrough", and that
20 years of progress by mainstream cryobiologists has been dismissed so
quickly.

4) With respect to CI's research, we already have evidence that they are not
qualified to scientifically interpret the work that their Ukrainian
cryobiologists are doing. The original brain tissue micrographs which they
were touting as being so great, were shown on close examination by several
people in this country who have the training to interpret such pictures, to
be cryopreserved with at least as much damage than the best that is
achievable in cryonics today. The EEG result which they have been touting
bears little relevance to full recovery of mental faculties, since many brain
dead people have normal looking EEGs. The Prometheus Project will use EEGs as
only the most gross indication at the start of brain cryoprotectant
development that we are on the right track.

5) The idea that the Visser cryoprotectant might "possibly even produce
superior cryonic suspension for our very next patient" is pure hype without
any substance whatever. It would irresponsible to apply a new cryoprotectant
and procedure to a human cryopreservation patient without complete and
reproducible testing of its toxicity and protective abilities.

7) In Cryomsg #6903 Bob Ettinger wrote:
>As to sharing, first I remind PP people that PP explicitly promises to
>reward those who buy shares and to penalize those who don't (if PP yields
>valuable, patentable technology). The precise size of the rewards and
>penalties are left to the future PP company to determine.

This is a misrepresentation of the Prometheus Project policies. Yes, we are
going to reward shareholders. That's why people buy shares in for-profit
corporations: to be rewarded. We would also similarly reward any cryonics
*organization* who buys shares in the Project. But it is wrong to say that
the corporation is going to *penalize* anyone, unless Bob now is implying
that any company who sells their product on the free market is *penalizing*
all those who are not share holders! The Prometheus Project has stated from
the beginning that it will treat all cryonicists and organizations equally.


>Is there any cryonicist who would not want the relevance of the Visser
>technique verified, and as soon as possible? Your donation could speed up
>the work.

Given the lack of experimental evidence so far, I believe that even this
statement is incorrect. Sensible people do not donate their hard earned money
for undetailed research. If Alcor and CI would hire some credentialed
cryobiology lab to do the research, then I would give them at least $1000 in
order to determine the value of the "Visser method" and I believe that I
could convince several other people to do the same.


>Now, the sharing question again. CI and Alcor have exclusive license to the
>Visser method for cryonics purposes, including the right to sub-license. On
>what basis the CI and Alcor directors will offer sub-licenses remains to be
>determined, just as with the PP company.

I believe that the license is unenforceable on the other cryonics
organizations because the cryopreservation of humans is deemed by all
cryonics organizations to be *research*. The *only* advantage which the
Alcor/CI/Visser deal gives to Alcor and CI is the knowledge of her perfusate,
perfusion and freezing methods two months in advance of the publication of 
her paper in November (which is, I believe, its planned date of appearance).


> I remind readers that CI, for example, has freely published its results
>on both our storage research

And they have provided no details. The facts are that CI's liquid nitrogen
patient cost for liquid nitrogen is about $1000 per whole-body, Alcor's is
about $500, and CryoSpan's is about $350. CI's much touted cryostats are, in
fact, much more prone to deterioration, breakage, and poor performance than
are the industry standard stainless steel dewars which Alcor, CryoSpan and
Trans Time use.


>and our cryobiology work;

Again with little scientific detail, uncontrolled methods, and unskilled
interpretations.


>and we have given help at no cost to competitor Paul Wakfer when Cryospan
>wanted to build a liquid nitrogen transport unit and needed our technology. 

And I thank you for that and would have gladly paid. Please send me a bill
for consulting services, so that I may discharge this debt and not be
beholden to you for anything. You did make my job a little bit easier.


>(Visualize, if you can, the PP company giving something to a competitor!)

This is again without foundation. The Prometheus Project has announced, at
least once, that all research findings would be immediately available to all
cryonics organizations as soon as they were verified at no charge while the
Project is still in progress to its final goal. We did not state it before,
but we fully intended that these would be released under a non-disclosure
agreement even before patents were in place, so that there would be no
possible delay in benefiting any cryonics patient. Anyone who knows how
careful I was, as President of Cryovita Laboratories, to ensure that all
equipment necessary for optimal suspension was left available to Alcor (and
then sold at very reasonable prices) during the Cryovita/Alcor/CryoCare
breakup, will know that I would do all that I possibly could to make life
saving technology available to *any* cryonics patient who has in good faith
prepared his or her funding. 


>Remember also that if PP materializes, and if it produces patentable
>improvements on the Visser method, then the holders of the basic patents and
>of the improvement patents will have to come to some agreement.

Use patents are not very enforceable and are easily circumvented. And you are
right, improvement patents on original patents work both ways, the holder of
the original patents, which may have little practical value without the
improvement, must seek permission from the holder of the improvement, if they
wish to use it to make money. But again this is all a moot point because all
human cryopreservation is research is it not?


>Again on the question of details of research plans: Here also (see my post
>yesterday) it is not useful, and should not be necessary, to lay everything
>out in advance for the approval of all potential donors. That way lies trial
>by the committee of the whole, inevitably leading to the death of a thousand
>cuts. This work is being done by Dr. Pichugin and our other people, and by
>Hugh Hixon and Alcor's other people, in consultation with Mrs. Visser and
>her colleagues and collaborators, including experienced cryobiologists in
>several countries. Many of the most senior people in cryonics are involved,
>including Fred and Linda Chamberlain, founders of Alcor. If that isn't good
>enough for you, that is your decision.

This is nothing more that a "trust me, this used car runs great, why we've
been in business for years" statement. Trust should never be asked for in
lieu of evidence.


>But if all the talk of "unified front" is still just hot air--if it still
>means unification by ingestion--then I will work with those available to
>secure the most and best we can for ourselves.

The Prometheus Project is not a threat to any cryonics organization. Far from
that, is has the most potential of anything for a long time to unify all
cryonicists (though not the political, power conscious organizations).


>And we will probably do all right, since CI, IS, and Alcor have a large
>majority of those active in cryonics and of patients in storage. 

We'll see.


>despite my many doubts about PP,

Which, based on your quick acceptance of the "Visser method", have been shown
to be hypocritical.


>Chorus: In or out of PP, if you are truly interested in hastening progress
>in cryonics and in saving your own life, please make your maximum donation
>NOW--half to the Immortalist Society and half to Alcor. Memo your checks
>to each "Research Fund" (tax deductible).

I strongly recommend to all cryonicists, Prometheus pledgers and non-pledgers
alike, that you reject this appeal for money without any kind of plan for its
expenditure.


-- Paul --

!!!!! REVERSIBLE BRAIN CRYOPRESERVATION *CAN* BE ACHIEVED IN 10 YEARS !!!!!

Paul Wakfer  email:        Voice/Fax:     Pager:
US:     1220 E Washington St #24, Colton, CA 92324 909-481-9620 800-805-2870
Canada: 238 Davenport Rd #240, Toronto, ON M5R 1J6 416-968-6291 416-446-9461
(Currently in California)


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