X-Message-Number: 9447
From: Olaf Henny <>
Subject: Platt vs. Ettinger, My 2CW
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1998 01:31:32 -0700

To Messrs. Charles Platt and Robert Ettinger

To quote from James L. Halperin's "The First Immortal" Page 143, 
4th Paragraph (the fictitious date was October 31, 1999):
	"Such planning, and teamwork between competing 
organizations, was a rare luxury in twentieth century cryonic 
suspensions.  Unfortunately, some of the personnel employed by 
the half-dozen or so legitimate cryonics facilities had recently 
become inordinately cutthroat, which had impeded the already-slow 
incursion of cryonics into general public acceptance.  Internet 
"newsgroups" in particular had become an embarrassment to the 
cryonics field, with scientists and medical personnel from 
various organizations constantly posting flames about techniques 
and policies of other facilities."

I have been following the discourse of you two gentlemen in this 
forum now for awhile and come to the following conclusion:  
Charles Platt is reasonably well informed (for an outsider)about 
the cryopreservation techniques employed by C.I., but not about 
the detailed research- and actual patient care events, which led 
to the evolvement of these techniques.

Now here I am making a couple of  assumptions, which I believe to 
be reasonable:
-  Mr. Ettinger has his CPC (cryopreservation contract) with C.I.
-  Mr. Platt Does not have his CPC with C.I.
Conclusion:  Mr. Ettinger's interest in the integrity of C.I.'s cooling
procedures is much more immediate than Mr. Platt's, and I would be
astonished, if Mr. Ettinger would not be grateful to Mr. Platt, if he would
have some suggestions, which might enhance C.I.'s procedures or point out
some potential pitfalls in a private discussion between two knowledgeable
scientists, after all his life may well depend on the best technology
today's science can provide.

However this is not what is taking place here.  Charles Platt 
appears to be intent on running C.I.'s cool-down program from 
afar, without having ultimately to assume any responsibility, 
either professionally or financially, for suggesting an itinerary 
for C.I.'s research.

Quote Charles Platt:
"To obtain more thorough verification, all CI has to do is run a properly
controlled, properly documented animal study using EXACTLY the same
protocol as is applied to CI patients, and publish the results. Why
bother? Because, as I have pointed out, the use of 75% (v/v) glycerol
without any gradual increase in concentration, followed by very slow
freezing, is contrary to basic and widely accepted principles of
cryobiology, and almost certainly causes severe damage. If an organization
chooses to ignore all experimental evidence of this kind, then surely the
onus is on the organization to prove that it is right while all other
scientists are wrong."

To me Mr. Platt you are either basking in self-aggrandizement or 
simply flaming the competition as foreseen as well as experienced 
in the past by James Halperin.  Frankly I think it is a barrel-
full of each.

Olaf

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